Today was the Democrats Abroad UK Day of Action. All DA chapters across the country met for fellowship or for GOTV activities. My local chapter held a ballot-request event a few weeks ago, so for us this was mostly about connecting in person. We huddled around phones in a pub to watch the national Zoom rally. It was broadcast from the London campaign office—we’ve never had a campaign office before—and the VIP speaking from London was Nancy Pelosi.
The pub was just busy enough that it was hard for us to hear her. She didn’t quite know where to look—her instinct was to address the staffers in the office, but she eventually found the camera and spoke to those of us in the virtual cheap seats. She focused on the practical: you, voters abroad, could be the margin of victory in many swing states; please make sure that your ballot is received, not just sent; try to get two friends to send in their ballots, too, even if they have to vote provisionally.
She was very positive and energetic and warm, pulling out that now-famous line, “You have to be willing to throw a punch, for the children.” There happened to be a lull in the background noise when she spoke about January 6, so we were able to hear her clearly.
One of the people at our table said, “They would have killed her if they’d found her.”
There were a lot of empty beer glasses on our table, but we were very sober for a moment after that. Most of us plan to go back to the US someday, and we want to make sure there is a country to go home to.
Turnout for voters abroad is abysmal, but this year I think it will be better than it has ever been before.
Someone here has to have an American friend abroad. There’s a real good chance she hasn’t voted. Only 8% of voters overseas did in 2020.
Make sure she sees THIS: www.votefromabroad.org
— L O L G O P (@lolgop.bsky.social) October 12, 2024 at 6:51 PM
October is peak Democratic panic time. It felt good this year to be able to do more than fret from afar, even if it’s not as much as many of you have been doing. (I have been telling people at home for years about the fundraising efforts WaterGirl arranges here at the Beej, and how donating to ground-game organizations or down-ballot candidates gets you more bang for the buck.)
If you are a US expat abroad, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program webpage or Vote from Abroad ASAP to request your ballot if you haven’t. You may still be able to vote a provisional ballot. If you can afford to, pay for expedited posting from your country of residence to ensure your ballot arrives before your state’s postal deadline. (I always send mine signed delivery.)
That’s what I’ve got for this evening. I swear I do have my follow-up post about the Google ad tech trial in the drafts folder, and I’ve been pestering my parents for details about the haunted B&B. In the meantime, tell us how your weekend has gone so far.
Artists in Our Midst – Knitting Magic
Baud
Very interesting. Thanks for the rundown.
H.E.Wolf
Three cheers for all of the USA voters abroad who will be casting their ballots!
And a tip of the hat to the expatriates in the UK who will be celebrating Guy Fawkes Day on election day.
Rose Judson
@Baud: Anything for you, Baud.
Mousebumples
Thanks for the info! I confirmed the ballots for Mr. Mouse and myself were received on Friday. Confirmed the same with my SIL & MIL today. My FIL has his mail ballot but hasn’t voted it yet. He’s working this weekend, but I’ll probably send a gentle nudge later this week. (I expect my MIL is being less gentle.)
Hoping to finish with my Postcards tonight or tomorrow…
Baud
@Rose Judson:
Oh, that’ll make a great campaign slogan.
trollhattan
Nancy SMASH!
Who knew this was a thing? Great to learn.
Chet Murthy
In 1992 I was living and working in Paris. We went to the American Embassy to vote for Clinton (Two, two, two for the price of one!) I still remember lining up to present our passports to the Marine guard at the booth, and the feeling of gravity and importance to the moment. Though I don’t actually remember anything else about it!
TBone
I spent a spooky dusk in this haunted mansion years back before it burned down and they built a modern manse. Found old books (now lost in one of many moves 😔)
https://maceravenwolf.blogspot.com/2016/04/heilbron-mansion-media-pa.html?m=1
geg6
Been all over my friends who live in Denmark and Germany about voting. My Denmark friends report back that they have requested their ballots. My friends in Germany have not reported in yet, but I know they were traveling until this weekend and may not have had time to get it done. I’ll remind them again. She’s a teacher in a DoD school there and comes from a very staunch D family, so I’m pretty sure they will.
Expletive Deleted
I sent in my ballot today as part of the day of action, and attended the zoom. Pelosi was great :)
There was a but of effort to get a local pub meetup organized but it didn’t quite come together – still, its was nice to see some area Democrats in the chat.
Ryan
Throwing a punch for the children. If that doesn’t capture the best parts of America, I don’t know what does.
Diceros bicornis
I trained a roomful of DAUK volunteers for ZoomTheVote support last weekend. We’re live on zoom daily through October. Ballotpalooza is next Sunday 20 October – 24 hours straight, worldwide! Tell your American friends abroad to come if they have questions about voting. Ballots in boxes, baby!
UncleEbeneezer
If advertising campaign is any indication, I’m feeling much better about CA-27 (Katie Hill’s old district). Saw a couple Whitesides billboards on the 14 and there are anti-Garcia adds all over YouTube. People I know who are canvassing are also reporting much greater enthusiasm than there was for Christy Smith in 2022. Fingers crossed that these are all good omens.
BellaPea
I don’t want to bring everyone down, but that part where someone at Rose’s table said “They would have killed her if they had found her” brings back to me the fury I have felt over January 6 every time I think of that terrible day. All of these Repubs trying to cast a different light on one of the worst incidents in our nation’s capital are lying swine. They would have killed Nancy, Pence, and AOC if they had found them and that is the God’s honest truth. And now that sorry excuse for a human being, that orange foul-mouthed piece of shit, is inches away from becoming president again. The whole thing is just unforgivable. Period.
Pete Downunder
I’m a member of DA here Downunder. I vote in CA and received an email a week ago that my vote has been received. Went very smoothly.
Chet Murthy
This. Goddamn. This. The last day of freedom this terrorist should have had was Jan 20 2021. He should have been scooped-up and sent to Gitmo to await trial along with all the other terrorists the next day. Dammit. Dammit.
Rose Judson
@geg6: I’ve also got a buddy in Denmark. She requested her ballot extra early because, apparently, the Danish post is terrible. She sent it in last week.
Rose Judson
@Diceros bicornis: Thank you so much for doing training! ❤️❤️❤️
TBone
@TBone:
It is said that ‘all who live here will meet their end’.
Heilbron Manor was known as the most haunted mansion in the world. (TBone was/is not aware of any such designation!) Located in Media, Pennsylvania, this home has a dark and sinister past. Established way back in the 1600s and owned by various local clans. The property was destroyed in a devastating fire, in which members of the Murchison family died. Their bodies were buried in an underground family crypt below the property and many say it is their spirits who haunt the site today.
The home was rebuilt and is currently privately owned. (It burned down twice, the newest house to use the stone foundation is the third). We wonder if the new owners are aware that no matter how you renovate or rebuild a haunted property, entity hauntings may still exist regardless.
There is a tale of a woman who one day discovered her daughters dead body in Ridley Creek, nearby the mansion. She had been severely injured and beaten. The spirit of the young girl has been sighted in the home believed to be the murdered girl. A local servant boy was found guilty of her death and they hanged his body from a tree. Ever since there have been sightings of his full body apparition eerily walking the grounds as if seeking retribution.
Local reporters stated there were also several suicides within the mansion. This home was so sinister that it was said if you go inside, you won’t come out alive and if you do, your life wouldn’t be worth living anyway.
In 1987 further housing developments were added to the site and many have reported creepy shadow figures peering and lurking from the surrounding woodlands. Could these be watchful spirits be monitoring folks as they perceive them to be trespassing on their original home lands?
PLEASE NOTE THIS PROPERTY IS PRIVATELY OWNED AND NOT AVAILABLE FOR INVESTIGATION.
Bwahaahaa! Boo!
https://boiseghost.org/resources/forum/topic/heilbron-mansion-the-most-cursed-manor-in-the-world-glen-mills-pennsylvania-paranormal-historical-haunting-america/
zhena gogolia
@BellaPea: You are expressing my feelings exactly.
After J6, I thought, “Well, this was horrible, but the silver lining is — he’s done!” Little did I know.
bobbo1
I live in Spain and I voted! Looked into this before I moved here, got my ballot in the mail (Los Angeles County), mailed it back last week.
TBone
@zhena gogolia: this is why I celebrate January 7.
Misswhatsis
I’ve been having a sh*tty couple of days: general anxiety about (gestures widely), missing my kids more than usual, several stupid mistakes I made with no help from anyone else (all rectifiable but still, I hate making errors), the departure of summer with the attendant regret over the things I didn’t do when the weather was nice. You know, the yuzh.
In an effort to improve my outlook, I did a little habitat unf*cking, deaccessioned some random clothing and shoes I will never wear (kitten-heeled pumps? what was I thinking?), and wrote a bunch of post-cards to voters in Pennsylvania (I’m sure they’re tired of being nagged but it makes me feel better to do it).
Tonight is second Sunday potluck where I invite everyone I know — it’s very ad hoc. I’m making chicken and rice with caramélised lemons. I also made a giant vat of banana pudding because I had an extraneous box of grocery store sugar cookies and two dozen eggs so I hope somebody shows up for supper tonight!
Asparagus Aspersions
@Expletive Deleted:
AZ voter here, living in France. I received my ballot and am sending it in this week. I already checked with a couple of my friends here and they’ve confirmed they voted (one is from solid blue state and one from a solid red state, but even so). I have a UK-based sibling who’s a swing state voter and confirmed voter. And all of them are avowed Dems. I don’t think I’d check in any Republicans (which exist, even in France, which don’t get me started on how they benefit from the social security system here while happily voting for people who would tear it away from their American compatriots).
Expletive Deleted
@Asparagus Aspersions: Yeah, I wouldn’t try to prevent an R from voting but I’m certainly not going to make any effort to remind/assist any either.
Have a local friend who is going back for a visit next week and have encouraged her to vote while there, likewise friends in Sweden I think have voted but should nudge again.
@Asparagus Aspersions:
Betty
I am a member of Democrats Abroad in the Caribbean. They have been very active in holding Zoom meetings with elected officials and providing lots of reminders and advice on voting. I am registered in Pennsylvania and received a notice months ago that I would be receiving my ballot via email. I received it, had to return it using DHL as our mail system isn’t working and have received word that it has been received.
P. S. to Frosty. I voted for Stelson against Perry.
lowtechcyclist
My step-niece and her husband are in the Peace Corps in Tanzania. (They’re staff, not volunteers.) They’re probably among the 8% who vote, but I just emailed them the links, just in case.
I’ve been spending the afternoon out on the back deck here in southern Maryland, where it’s an absolutely perfect day: 70s, sunny, low humidity, a slight breeze. We’ve got woods behind the house (it’s officially a Corps of Engineers-certified wetlands, hence no houses, but there’s only a tiny bit of swamp at the bottom of this mini-valley, the rest is all trees) and sitting here on the deck, it feels like you’re floating amongst the trees. There won’t be too many more days when it’s comfortable to sit out here for hours, so I’m taking advantage of it while it’s here.
bjacques
From Houston area, living in Amsterdam. I posted my ballot Friday before last, so I may call the county registrar Tuesday or a little later this week to confirm they received my ballot.
Miki
Thanks for this. I have a friend from the way back years (our families moved into the neighborhood at the same time in 1960) who’s been living in Texas for decades and just bought an apartment in Spain. They’re going to spend 3 months there, leaving next week. I know his politics and they’re spot on, so I’ve gotta believe they’ve taken all necessary steps to either vote early (starts 10/21) or already have their absentee ballots. But, just in case, I sent him a friendly reminder.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
I just got a notice this morning from the New York State Board of Elections that an electronic ballot is now available to me. Which is kind of late, because the deadline to give in my ballot at the US Embassy was … October 4.
Which is why I sent in an absentee ballot based on the Federal FVAP form the week before and brought it to the Embassy on September 30. I do not trust the intersection between Hellenic Post and the US Mail under DeJoy.
At least the Embassy sent out email notices warning that the deadline was approaching, and there are prominent signs within the consulate section about how to get and submit absentee ballots. Of course, those signs are as easy to find as the demolition notice for Arthur Dent’s house, given that you have to pass through a security scan and cough up telephones, smartwatches, and what have you before you can even get in.
KM in NS
Red state expat here… sent my ballot in this past Wednesday. Won’t make a difference in the Solid Red State… but if you vote you can complain… lol
BlueGuitarist
If you have connection to a university study abroad program, maybe pass along the vote from abroad linked above, and copied here:
https://www.votefromabroad.org/
BlueGuitarist
@Misswhatsis:
You are impressively turning your anxiety into productive action!
Kudos. Have to remember caramelizing lemons for the next Will Santino no more lemons moment
https://x.com/will_santino/status/1351341525024829441?s=20
tokyocali (formerly tokyo ex-pat)
Three votes here sent into the state of California. The Embassy sent out an email reminding us of deadlines and letting us know that they would collect ballots in the first week of October and send them via diplomatic pouch. They were all dropped off last Monday. I am now waiting confirmation of receipt.
@Pete Downunder: I hope I get an email as well. That would relieve my anxiety that my ballot has been received and will be counted.
By the way, did those of you abroad see the Republicans in PA were trying to attack votes from abroad, including the military votes, as being at risk of fraud and therefore should not be counted?
BellaPea
@zhena gogolia: Yes, it is enough to make you go crazy. I remember having the TVs on in every room, and wandering back and forth crying. I thought it was the end of the Orange Menace. Yet here we are.