Historically, only a small percentage of U.S. citizens living abroad actually vote in presidential elections. Just 12% in the last one, in fact. A main reason behind this is the complex and difficult process that deters potential voters. The international charity organization Avaaz is trying to change that, recently unveiling an app to help Americans living abroad to register to vote.
Votes against Trump
The emphasis for the app launch is being placed on the upcoming 2016 elections in November. Just recently, about 100 people gathered in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate waving small American flags while demonstrators knocked down a wall made of cardboard boxes with a hammer just a short distance from where the Berlin Wall once stood.
Some also held up signs reading “Tear down Trump’s Wall” and “Stop Trump: Register to Vote Here”. In addition, others were on the outskirts of the demonstration, testing out the app and helping participants to register with tablets.
The theory behind the emphasis placed for this election is that U.S. citizens living abroad tend to be much more left-wing than their counterparts living in the U.S. It’s much more likely that they will vote against Trump.
There’s potential to make a big difference
There are about 8 million Americans living abroad, and an increased voter turnout has the potential to make a big difference. The polls indicate that Trump and Clinton are very close, especially in states where the winner-takes-all policy applies.
In the 2000 Presidential election between Al Gore and George Bush, for example, Bush won by a margin of just a few hundred votes in the state of Florida, for example. Avaaz is hoping their app will do much more to make the voting process much simpler overseas and encourage more people to vote. The developers expect that even a small percentage can play a significant role.
So what will the app do exactly?
Essentially, the process now of obtaining an absentee ballot can be very complex and confusing. Numerous complicated forms have to be filled out and the actual structure changes from election to election.
The Avaaz app will firstly optimize the registration forms for mobile phones, but also remind the users about various deadlines—often a trip up in the voting process. Once registration takes place, you can easily print out and mail forms to the necessary destination. In addition, the app syncs with social media and email campaigns. This allows non-U.S. citizens to encourage their American friends to vote. At this point, the app has been shared more than 114,000 times on Facebook and nearly 10,000 times on Twitter.
One user, Lea Morris from Oregon (now living in Berlin) says, “A lot of expats spend so much time trying to integrate into another country that, in a sense, we feel like we’re not really American. It’s important to show people that their actions make a difference. I think that’s coming to a head in this election. I think social media helps people get more engaged.”
And just recently, the first 2016 Presidential Debate kicked off. For an analysis of some of the highlights of the debate click here. Or maybe, you want to watch the full debate all over again here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfzKOG5fWKg
