As the 2020 Democratic primary race coverage intensifies in Washington, there is a group of voters, scattered around the globe, who are increasingly making their voices heard – American Democrats living abroad. Between 2014 and 2018, voter engagement among Democrats outside the United States jumped 800 percent, according to self-reported data from Democrats Abroad. This figure speaks to an important trend: American expats are less apathetic, more involved, and more progressive. They may be no Pennsylvania or Iowa, but they are a demographic that shouldn’t be overlooked.
During the Democratic presidential primaries, Democrats Abroad (DA) – an official arm of the Democratic Party for U.S. citizens in over 190 countries – functions as a 51st state. They hold a Global Presidential Primary, send delegates to the Democratic National Convention, and vote for a presidential candidate as a body. In 2020, DA will send 12 elected delegates, one alternate, and 8 DNC members to the convention.
Americans living abroad successfully lobbied for and received the right to vote in federal elections over four decades ago, in 1975. However, only the Democratic Party allows American expats to vote in the primaries. Registered Republicans may be able to cast their votes in the federal election, but they have no say in who their party elects as its candidate.
The focus for organizations like DA is to educate expats on how to exercise their right to vote and inspire them to do so. “To get them to vote is already a win, especially those who are from the more important states,” Alex Rehbinder, co-chair of Democrats Abroad – France Youth Caucus, said. “The 2018 midterms were big,” Rehbinder explained. “They gave people a lot of hope.”
In France, where Rehbinder heads a chapter of Young Democrats Abroad, about 3,000 people voted in the 2016 Democratic primary. Although voter engagement rose significantly relative to previous primaries, that number is only a small fraction of the American population. According to 2016 data from the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), about 37,000 Americans reside in France. This means that less than ten percent of them actually cast their votes in 2016.
Those Americans who did vote overwhelmingly supported Bernie Sanders, mirroring the results for DA as a whole. Sanders earned 68.79% of all votes cast abroad. “Democrats overseas are much more to the left than Democrats in the United States,” DNC Representative and DA – France Former Chair Constance Borde said. “We live with socialist governments, we live with all kinds of ideas that […] frighten Americans [at home].”
In Paris, Rehbinder organizes social events like debate watch parties and cocktail hours to draw in the elusive American expats. The latest debate watch party in September saw a crowd of about 40 people. Students and young professionals took over the second floor of an anglophone bar, Frog Revolution, chatting away over happy hour pints while Joe Biden spat with Julian Castro on screen.
For those Americans who’ve spent the majority of their life abroad, these gatherings are a way to connect with their compatriots and build a social network. And despite concerns about voter apathy among organizers like Rehbinder, they are energized by the prospect of Democrats retaking the White House in 2020 and eager to participate in the process.
Sarah Bloch, a graduate student at Sciences Po, has never lived in the U.S. She grew up in the Parisian suburbs, got her Bachelor’s degree in Canada, and then returned to France. But she’s actively followed American politics her entire life. From attending Democrat-organized events with her mother to attending school with Borde’s granddaughter, Bloch is steeped in U.S. politics.
“The fact that I have not yet lived in the U.S., especially as an adult, is inherently tied with political factors,” Bloch said. “I intended on going to college there, but the cost of tuition made me choose Canada.” Lack of adequate benefits such as universal healthcare and paid leave left her reluctant to search for jobs in the U.S. Her political views, Bloch admits, have Europe as a reference point. “I am probably more critical of certain things such as the electoral college, the duration of campaigning, and exorbitant amounts of money that go into political campaigns in the U.S.,” she said.
Having close family ties in the country and observing the international impact of US policy pushes Bloch to stay engaged. “I am sometimes reluctant about being very vocal about the election or taking part in any sort of campaigning,” she admitted, since most policies that Democratic candidates propose would have no impact on her life abroad.
However, Bloch cites the worldwide impact of US policy as her primary reason for continuously engaging with American politics. “Whether it be defense and diplomacy, trade policy, or environmental policy, which is my field of study, the outcomes of US elections have an undeniable effect on the rest of the world,” she said.