The DNC is funding a campaign that is specifically intended to reach Americans abroad who have homes in battleground states, while there are nearly nine million Americans living outside of the US, according to the State Department, Politico reported. The campaign will encompass traditional media advertising, social media promotion, billboards on Canadian highways, letters, and town halls.
“We’re going to win this election by engaging every eligible voter, no matter where they live, and our investment shows our commitment to leaving no stone left unturned,” DNC Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman told Politico.
Voter turnout for Americans living or working overseas, usually in the diplomatic corps, US military or US business satellites, is usually low. So, both the DNC and the Republican National Committee (RNC) are trying to raise participation in the 2024 presidential election. Beginning Saturday, foreign-living Americans can start to find ballots in their inboxes.
“The RNC is working hand-in-glove with the Trump Campaign to reach all eligible voters — including those abroad — to turn out the GOP electorate for an unprecedented win on Nov. 5,” RNC Spokesperson Anna Kelly said.
Voters must abide by the rules and procedures of their home state when returning their ballots. Some states are insisting upon a paper ballot being returned while other states have approved an electronic version being sent, said Bruce Heyman, the former US ambassador to Canada. Heyman is a co-chairman of the DNC’s Americans Abroad campaign.
Of the 9 million Americans living abroad, the Democrats Abroad group estimates that 1.6 million people come from the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The races in those states were so tight in 2020 that 44,000 votes in Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin elected Joe Biden as president.
“We saw in 2016 that there were a lot of Americans in Canada, many of whom are Michiganders, who didn’t vote. And then we looked at other battleground border states and saw the close margins and realized voters abroad are a big factor,” said Heyman. He claimed that added when people are voting abroad, they are usually Democrats because they “care about foreign policy and the stature of America in the world.”
