“About 5 million votes. Researchers named a social group that can strongly influence the results of the US presidential election October 18, 05:00 Share: Americans living abroad can strongly influence the results of the elections (Photo:romatitov626.gmail.com/Depositphotos) Author: Kira Borysikhina A group of American citizens living abroad remains out of the focus of election campaigns, despite their significant electoral potential. Read also: The road to fascist catastrophe”, — write on: ua.news
Americans living abroad can greatly influence the election results (Photo:romatitov626.gmail.com/Depositphotos)
A group of American citizens living abroad remains out of the focus of election campaigns, despite their significant electoral potential.
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Estimates of the number of Americans living abroad range from 4.4 million to 5.3 million, and their votes could be decisive in the 2024 election. However, overseas voters face many administrative hurdles, such as complicated voting procedures and delays in mailing ballots.
Studies show that the largest groups of Americans abroad reside in Mexico, Canada, Great Britain, France, Israel, and Germany. Despite their high level of education and interest in US politics, many of these citizens do not vote. One of the reasons is information difficulties and administrative barriers. In 2020, only 8-20% of Americans abroad participated in the election, which is significantly lower than the turnout rate in the US (67%).
Federal laws require ballots to be mailed to citizens abroad 45 days before an election, but postal issues often cause delays. Some states allow electronic filing of ballots, which makes the process easier, but such options are not available everywhere. In other states, citizens must send documents through the mail with precise procedures, which also complicates the voting process.
In addition, the lack of contact between election campaigns and political parties remains an important problem. Studies show that connecting with voters significantly increases their chances of participating in elections. However, despite this, most Americans abroad do not receive such requests. For example, in 2020 and 2022, less than a third of Americans living in Canada said they had been contacted by party representatives or candidates.
Thus, US citizens abroad remain an overlooked but potentially important constituency. Improving communication with them and simplifying the voting process could increase their participation in future elections, which could have a significant impact on their outcome.