My ballot has arrived! My ballot has arrived!! It is with mixed feelings that I found my absentee ballot waiting for me when I came home today. This presidential election has been different to say the least and being abroad for the duration of it has given me an interesting perspective. I’m disconnected from the usual influx of political ads I remember from past elections. Most of my information comes from foreign correspondents and the trickle of facebook posts from friends back in the States (which often prompts me to do more research on what is actually going on).
I’ve tried a few times to write a post about my thoughts on the election: when Bernie and Clinton were running for the party’s nomination, being torn on where to cast my vote once it became apparent Bernie was out of the running, when Clinton became the Democratic Presidential nominee, and now with seeing the election process come to a head as Clinton and Trump debate over the national budget, social/economic equality, and the suitability of their temperaments to becoming President of the United States. I could never seem to find the right words to express how I was feeling. Especially after reading so many posts and articles of others who spouted their opinions so loudly it became more of a shouting match than a debate, I didn’t want to be just another decibel of sound.
As a single female traveler, one of the most oft asked questions I received was some form of “You’re traveling by yourself?” Now when people find out I’m from the States, they instead ask me what I think about Trump. I’m not going to get into my opinion of him and if you’re interested, message me and we can have a conversation about the ‘suitability’ of Donald Trump as president. Watching the media about the US presidential election from Malaysia and then Australia, I saw the outside perspective of how our election process was viewed. To be honest, it hasn’t been that favorable. It’s turned into a reality show for politics and taken just as seriously. That’s not a compliment for our country.
I knew I was going to vote in this election come hell or high water. I just wasn’t sure how. Luckily I met up with my friend Todd while in Sydney and he’s an active member of Democrats Abroad. He directed me to Vote From Abroad, a site which helps those living abroad to register and vote in US elections. This was especially important as I’d changed states from New York to Wisconsin when leaving and hadn’t been able to register before I’d left. They gave details for each state on requirements to register and request an absentee ballot as well as deadlines for the election.
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| Photo Property of Kira Zebroski |
My own personal experience with an absentee ballot has proven to be a bit frustrating; however, I think it’s finally been sorted so I’ll be able to vote. ::knock on wood:: I’d sent my request for registration and an absentee ballot but had a moment of difficulty when trying to figure out how to prove I reside in Wisconsin since the best way to prove that is with mail. Luckily my mom and I figured out I could send a printed copy of my bank statement. Even though it’s an e-statement, it still has my address printed on it. Then a few weeks ago I was contacted by the Town Hall of my residence to call them as they needed photo ID from me. Photocopy of my passport? Sorted!
I’ve now received my ballot, been researching the candidates in my State and local election, and almost lost it all in the 11th hour. Wisconsin needs a “Certification of Witness” which is the signature and address of another US Citizen to prove I am who I say I am and the voting procedure has gone as planned. SERIOUSLY????!!!! I’ve been traveling to some remote areas with only a couple hundred residents and they want me to find another American to sign my ballot envelope after I’ve sent them my photo ID, bank statement, and social security number?? In the two years I’ve been traveling, I’ve met less than a dozen other US citizens. It’s one of the reasons people thought I was so crazy when I said I was going to start traveling. It just isn’t typically done in the US. So if I’d still been on TI or the Gili Islands or potentially even Koh Phangan, I would have been shit outta luck. That is an incredibly frustrating feeling. To work so hard to get to utilize my right to vote, only to have some unnecessary, redundant, and potentially impossible hoop to jump through be what stops me from voting?? That is completely unacceptable. Wisconsin, you already disappointed me when I read about how difficult you’re making people who physically live there get a photo ID so they can vote. This just brought my opinion of your voting process down even lower. You can and should do better. There is enough complaint about the lack of voter participation in the United States without needing to make it impossible for those who DO want to vote. Luckily, I think this particular story will have a happy ending. My Sydney friend has connected me with the Melbourne group of Democrats Abroad and one of them should be able to sign my envelope. YEY!! Crisis averted!!
During my time in Australia, I’ve also gotten to learn more about their election process. Voting is mandatory. It always happens on a Saturday and voting booths are at public facilities (typically a school or town hall). One of my friends told me that school groups would run sausage sizzles (similar to a brat fry in Wisconsin) and people would chat online on who had the best sizzle. I really liked this as it brought more positive attention to schools as well as promoting a sense of community. Election campaigns are short. There was apparently complaining over the most recent election which lasted 2 months as opposed to the typical 4 weeks. Imagine...only 4 weeks of campaign trails, debates, and political ads. Now it isn’t all bliss. They don’t elect their prime minister, but rather vote for their political party and the leader of the majority party at the time becomes prime minister. They’ve had 4 prime ministers in the last five years. So consistency and success of long-term planning can be difficult. If you ever watch Australian politics, the two main parties are Labor and The Liberals (who ironically are conservative) with the Greens getting about 10% of the vote. And there’s also been a rise of minor parties, sometimes with rather interesting names. Pirates Party? Australian Sex Party? Political party….or theme for the next great get together? ::chuckle::
So as I prepare to exercise my right to vote in the 2016 Presidential Election, I urge my fellow US citizens to do the same. Don’t just write about the changes you want to see on social media, share articles, or talk. DO SOMETHING! VOTE!!!
And if that isn’t incentive enough, it’s also my birthday that day. Give me a really good birthday present America. Please.
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