OP-ED by Barbara Steenstrup – Currently, only ballots sent via fax, email (where permitted), or courier services (such as DHL/Fedex) will be received in time to be counted.
Donald Trump and his surrogates including Elon Musk are putting out lies and innuendos about the legitimacy of the votes of US citizens who vote from abroad. They have even initiated two law suits. It means that the impact of our votes must be substantial and can well make the difference in the outcome of the 2024 Presidential election on November 5, 2024.
The bottom line is VOTE.
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Voting from abroad is now one of the central strands of the conspiracy that Trump will use to undermine and call into question the election results.
Here are the strands of the conspiracy:
- Americans who live abroad aren’t citizens / not ‘real Americans’ – conflation with non-citizen voting – Americans who live abroad ARE citizens – we do exist, in fact there are millions of us / not all Ameicans live in America – being an American takes many forms
- Abroad voters don’t have ID/citizenship status verified – Anyone can vote
- The process is not secure – this leads to fraud
- A discrepancy in numbers of Americans living abroad and the numbers who are eligible to vote = the ‘margin of fraud’
- Therefore, ballots from abroad are suspect -ballots from abroad should be considered illegal and voters could be brought up on charges (scare voters off.)
Volunteers who work with Democrats Abroad therefore see it as our duty to help voters and make sure they are not scared off from voting. Educate & maintain confidence in the system. Provide counter-narrative to MAGA lies & conspiracy theories,
The message is that it is valid and within our rights as American citizens to vote, regardless of where we live.
People who haven’t yet voted should not be scared off. Eligible voters need to feel it’s legal, safe, and secure to exercise their right to vote. Local Election Officials in the US are also receiving information so that they know that the votes that come from overseas are their responsibility to check, accept or question, and count for the candidates voted.
The votes of US citizens, military and civilian, who live outside the US are legal, protected by the US Government, verified and secure.
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American US Citizens abroad can vote!
- We are US citizens. All US citizens have a right to vote. This goes for Americans abroad, too, both military and civilian.
- Americans abroad are legally entitled to vote.
- Americans abroad have a federally protected right to vote.
- We pay taxes.
- We register for selective service (the military).
- We are legally entitled to vote from anywhere in the world.
Four federal laws have established, reiterated, and strengthened the right of Americans abroad (civilian and military) to vote. ( Three of the laws are signed by Republicans)
- 1975: Congress passed the Overseas Citizens Voting Rights Act (OCVRA), (Signed by President Ford) which required states to grant any eligible overseas US citizen the right to vote absentee in federal elections.
- 1986: UOCAVA (Signed by President Reagan) consolidated, updated, and replaced the existing acts in providing overseas citizens the right to vote they possess today.
- 2002 – Help America Vote (HAVA) Act (signed by President George Bush)
- 2009: Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) Act
Vote From Abroad is a website where a voter applies for a ballot ( It is not actually voting, not even registering. Each state does that.)
- VFA helps people apply for their ballot.
- For federal races, UOCAVA / FPCA form says users can use their Social Security Number or state ID #; if a person has neither, the State can determine other requirements.
- For non-federal races, the State sets the rules / The State determines what the exact requirements for people who vote in state races.
- The state decides if each applicant meets those requirements, and issues ballots to those who do.
- Vote From Abroad (VFA) is not involved in the decision to issue ballots or not.
- Citizenship status, voter ID & eligibility are verifed by the State, not VFA.
- After a potential voter has applied, the state reviews the information and determines the eligibility of the applicant.
- Eligibility is determined at the local level, by the State/local elections office, according to the rules of each state.
- VFA/ DA is not involved in this process at all.
- People submit the Federal Postcard application under penalty of perjury.
- Attacks on voting from abroad are direct attacks on our military and diplomats.
- UOCAVA makes no distinction between civilian and military ballots.
- The overseas voter program (FVAP) is administered by Department of Defense.
- Attacks on UOCAVA directly assault those deployed & those administering this program.
- UOCAVA not only applies to military serving abroad, but those serving outside of their home base / jurisdiction (ie, national guard being a first responder in another state).
The following are some of the sites where you can see the false narratives:
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To have real information and accurate replioes to questions see below or go to:
https://www.votefromabroad.org/faqs/
What is Vote from abroad?
• A website
• A suite of voter support services
VFA is website, tailored for Americans who live and vote from abroad; it is staffed by trained experts and regularly updated to reflect changes to state laws and requirements.
VFA is a nonpartisan voter service to support Americans abroad, regardless of party affiliation, to vote.
VFA is a suite of voter services – voter help/zoom room, regularly update state by state procedures, the website, and vote protection.
VFA is nonpartisan.
VFA is a voter support website, which can be used by US citizens of any political persuasion, to apply to vote from abroad.
VFA is a nonpartisan/civic voter support service provided by Democrats Abroad to Americans abroad. The website, and the voter assistance services can be used by any American citizen abroad, regardless of their party preference or affiliation.
The site does not screen users; The site asks for party affiliation only if a state requires that information for primary voting requirements.
The site and its related communication channels operate in the public interest and do not promote Democratic candidates, issues, or partisan policies.
How are abroad voters verified? / can anyone submit a ‘fake’ FPCA:
- Each Voter’s identity, citizenship status, and eligibility is checked and verified by the State in which they vote – not by VFA or DA
- If their identity is verified to the satisfaction of the state they vote in, they will be sent a ballot by their local election office
- User submits under penalty of perjury
- What about voters who have never lived in the USA before?
- American citizens/passport holders who have not lived in the USA before can apply to vote at the last address their parents live in
- If they do not have a SSN or a state ID #, they can submit a birth certificate proving their tie to their parents. This needs to be verified by their voting state and if accepted, they will receive their ballot from that state.
- “Never resided”
- UOCAVA Is silent as to ‘never resided’ – this is the purview of States – and where States have a clear view on this, the State law predominates.
Vote from Abroad is simply a tool to REQUEST A BALLOT – it is not a tool for VOTING.
A fake SSN would likely be rejected by the local elections office, and the person would not receive a ballot. VFA does no vetting of the information the applicant submits – that is done by the State
Is voting from abroad cyber-secure? There are no reports of voting from abroad being in-secure, and there are no credible reports of large scale voter fraud in US elections. When returning a ballot electronically there is a paper trail on both sides (user and recipient).
Overall election security has been going on for almost 50 years. States have always safeguarded elections.
Here are some other Authoritative Resources / groups active in Overseas voting:
• Get Democracy Docket / Holder?
• NCLS: https://www.ncsl.org/elections-and-campaigns/voting-for-military-and-overseas-voters
• The Council of State Government – https://www.csg.org/about-us/
• Overseas Voting Initiative: https://ovi.csg.org/articles/
• Democratic Secretaries of State https://demsofstate.org/leadership/
• NASS: https://www.nass.org/
• Brennan Center: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/overseas-voting
• Democracy Docket
• Overseas Vote Foundation – Susan https://www.lwv.org/blog/voting-abroad-absentee-voting-overseas-citizens
NOW YOU HAVE THE FACTS. THE REAL FACTS. THE TIME TO USE YOUR VOTE IS NOW.
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