LatinaLista — While the clock till the November elections steadily ticks away and voting organizations are working overtime to entice everyone to register and vote, it’s an understatement to say that people think this is a very important election.
Artist: Roberto D’Amico
However, it’s not just people in the U.S.A. who are trying to get the vote out. It appears that in every corner of the world there are efforts underway to get U.S. citizens who live abroad to cast their absentee ballots for the November election.
A short stroll around the planet reveals:
South Korea’s OhMyNews is offering links and resources to help voters living abroad vote. As they write:
This is a very special election year, because the Bush era will come to an end, and the electorate will have the opportunity to decide the future direction of the country. The two sides are very different, offering completely opposing views of America’s place in the world. Americans living overseas have a unique vision of their country, seeing it from the outside, and their voices should be heard loud and clear in this crucial year.
In the United Kingdom, the newspaper, The Telegraph, isn’t leaving anything to chance. In a blog post entitled “US Election Voting Myths Busted,” the editors do a rundown of the most excuses and reasons why people don’t cast an absentee ballot when they’re miles away from home. One-by-one each excuse is explained away till there’s nothing left but to vote.
This is a reminder to the millions of Americans around the globe – and anyone who knows one of those Americans! – that time is running out to request your absentee ballot and vote in November.
From Argentina, we hear that U.S. officials are doing their part in getting out the vote. The blog, The Argentine Post, reports that officials from the American Embassy in Buenos Aires will be traveling to Mendoza, Argentina to offer voting and consular services to those U.S. citizens who find it too difficult to travel to Buenos Aires.
In an election where it is finally understood that EVERY VOTE COUNTS, the “Democracy at a Distance: A Summit to Make Voting Work for Military and Overseas Voters” will take place on Sept. 15 to discuss ways to make it easier for the military and citizens living abroad to cast their votes without being discouraged due to a bureaucratic maze.
An estimated 6 million overseas and uniformed services voters must navigate confusing state and local regulations that often delay receipt and processing of their registration and absentee ballots. In the 2006 federal elections, voter turnout among the military was only 20.4%, compared to 39.8% for the general population.
It doesn’t matter from which side of the planet we stand, the importance of voting in this election is a responsibility that the world is making sure Americans fulfill.
If ever there was a time when the old saying “carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders” rang true, it is now.
