Many Americans see the nomination of Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential candidate as a fait accompli but the upcoming Global Primary Election – organized by Democrats Abroad – will be important in terms of electing delegates to the National Democratic Convention and for Democrats to express their opinions, through referendum, on issues of particular interest to U.S. citizens living abroad, such as extending Medicare coverage to Mexico.
Democrats Abroad, the organization of Democrat expats living all around the world, is recognized by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) as an official part of the Democratic Party. It is viewed as the 51st state and is the 17th largest voting block in the DNC.
Democrats Abroad will elect 15 delegates to represent them at the National Convention (held in Charlotte, North Carolina this year). Eleven of those delegates will be elected during the Democratic Global Primary taking place from May 1 to May 6 in person at Country Committee Voting Centers or by absentee ballot upon request. Another four delegates to the Democratic National Convention will be elected at the Democrats Abroad Global Convention in Puerto Vallarta on May 19 and 20.
Requests for an absentee ballot must be made no later than April 30. Absentee ballots for those who can’t make it to a voting center or who wish to avoid long lines may be obtained by going to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The person requesting the ballot should write “Global Primary Ballot Request” in the subject line and in the body of the email say “I wish to request an absentee ballot for the 2012 Global Primary” and type his or her full name and country committee, their chapter (if relevant) or the just the name of the country for those without a full committee. The ballot will be sent (on line) to the person requesting it with voting instructions including how to return the completed ballot. Voted absentee ballots must be returned no later than 5 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) on May 6.The Lake Chapala – Mexico Chapter of Democrats Abroad will have a polling site for Global Primary voting at Hotel La Nueva Posada, Donato Guerra 9 in Ajijic on Tuesday, May 1, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for those who are not registered Democrats Abroad (they can join and vote a provisional ballot) or who, for some reason, have not received their ballots on line. The polling place can also be used by those members who are not comfortable using computers or who don’t have access to one. There will be volunteers to help with registering voters and requesting absentee ballots for the November presidential federal elections.
Besides manning polling places, the Democrats Abroad National Committee (Mexico) will be surveying the issues affecting the lives of Democratic expats. The referendum will include questions on taxes, Social Security, the Electoral College, and the Citizens United controversy. This survey will be sent to all registered Democrats Abroad members. They should fill out the questionnaire and when finished, simply press DONE. The answers will be automatically returned to Democrats Abroad Mexico.
Lake Chapala Democrats Abroad Chairperson Tim Whiting reminds all U.S. voters that if they are planning to vote from Mexico in November and have not filled out the request for an absentee ballot as required by the new MOVE Act, do so right away by going to www.votefromabroad.org. Even if you have been registered to vote in the past, this new law requires you to re-register every federal election cycle. Re-registration can also be accomplished at the Global Primary polling place on May 1.