I’m an American voter overseas. For years, we were ignored – but maybe this time we’ll make the difference | Alexander Hurst
In the rush to defeat Trump, we’re suddenly on the frontline. It’s a shame, then, that so few of us actually vote
The United States doesn’t show much love to its citizens who live abroad. For instance, it was impossible for me to declare my driving licence lost and request a reprint because my home state of Ohio’s state government website seems to frequently not work outside the US. And while a VPN provides a potential workaround, the steps to verify your identity require … a US phone number. No, the infamous citizenship-based taxation and financial reporting regime – meaning Americans worldwide have to report their accounts held in foreign financial institutions to the IRS – doesn’t only affect wealthy tax cheats, it makes life difficult for plenty of normal people. And if you’re fed up enough to want to ditch your US citizenship, well, I hope you’ve got money to burn, because that will cost you a $2,350 administrative processing fee.
The one thing that’s always worked pretty well for me, though, is voting from a distance. Some states are more online than others, allowing you to email a request for an “absentee ballot”, whereas Ohio makes me sign a paper form and send it in the mail. From that point on, however, every time I have voted things have gone smoothly. By mid-September this year, a thick envelope landed in my mailbox in Paris, containing the six-page ballot with little blank ovals waiting to be bubbled in with a pen. Not just the presidential race, but also for Senate and the House of Representatives, a host of state offices, a dozen or so races to elect various judges and, finally, state and local ballot initiatives. (If you’re curious – yes, I voted to raise local taxes on alcohol and cigarettes to increase funding for Cleveland municipal schools.)
Alexander Hurst is a Guardian Europe columnist
Continue reading...-
World - The Guardian
‘I’m empowering my song to go and make love with different people’: Imogen Heap on how her AI twin will rewrite pop
October 16 -
Politics - The Hill
Republicans hit for overseas voter lawsuits
October 15 -
Business - The New York Times
For Investors, What if This Time Is Different?
Yesterday -
Health - ABC News
Voters with disabilities are feeling ignored by presidential candidates
October 14 -
Top stories - ABC News
Voters with disabilities are feeling ignored by presidential candidates
October 14 -
Top stories - NBC News
Citizens-only ballot measures make newly naturalized American voters feel on edge
5 days ago -
Sports - Yahoo Sports
Stefon Diggs gets into heated altercation with Packers, Jaire Alexander: ‘I’m never the bigger person’
October 20 -
Business - MarketWatch
Wall Street hates Treasurys. Maybe it’s time to give them some love.
October 19
More from The Guardian
-
World - The Guardian
Trump fills Madison Square Garden with anger, vitriol and racist threats
7 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
Japan election: voters have issued ‘severe judgment’, PM says after ruling coalition loses majority
6 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
Middle East crisis live: Iranian military chief warns Israel of ‘bitter consequences’ over weekend’s airstrikes
37 minutes ago -
World - The Guardian
‘Christmas creep is real’: festivities start earlier every year, analysis finds
3 hours ago -
World - The Guardian
Georgia’s pro-EU opposition calls for protest over ‘rigged’ election result
14 hours ago
Latest in World
-
World - ABC News
Bavarian tradition honors St. Leonhard, patron saint of farmers, horses and livestock
4 minutes ago -
World - The New York Times
Utility in Britain Offers Free Electricity to Grow Clean Energy
11 minutes ago -
World - The New York Times
As Russian Forces Turn to Glide Bombs, Ukrainian Civilians Fear a New Threat From the Skies
13 minutes ago -
World - Financial Times
Poll tracker: Will Trump or Harris win the US presidency?
27 minutes ago -
World - ABC News
Pakistan begins another vaccination campaign after a worrying surge in polio cases
28 minutes ago