Why Votes from Abroad Can Tip U.S. Elections

2020 is an election year like no other. A global pandemic, domestic unrest and an economic downturn have motivated many voters — and not just those in swing states — to go to the polls.

Experts are predicting record turnout. But what about those Americans living abroad? If you’re an American living overseas, here are five reasons your vote matters:

1. Absolute Numbers. There are roughly nine million Americans living overseas. Of those 9 million, 6.5 million are eligible voters. And don’t kid yourself. Your vote matters even if you live in a deep Red or deep Blue state.
2. Relative Numbers. To put these numbers in perspective, 6.5 million voters is more than the population in 33 of the 50 U.S. states. It’s also more than the number of registered voters in 2018 in Wisconsin and Arizona put together.
3. Margin of Victory. In the 2016 presidential election, the margin of difference between the two candidates in a number of states was a matter of thousands, not millions. Take Michigan. In that state, the election was decided by roughly 10,700 votes. That year, 17,000 voters cast a ballot from abroad. These voters could easily decide that state’s election next time around. This is also true for a number of house and senate seats.
4. Swing states. Which brings us to the so-called “battleground states.” In the American electoral system, the election is often decided in these states. Election Assistance Commission data tells us that 48% of overseas votes in 2016 were cast in swing states. This makes overseas voters a potentially pivotal voting bloc — especially if all eligible voters turn out this year.
5. Young voters. Another trend worth watching overseas is the rise of the “youth vote.” Millennial voting nearly doubled in America between 2014 and 2018 — rising from 22% to 42%. There are many signs that 18-29 year olds could play a major role in the 2020 election. Our most recent data show that 25% of ballots requested on Vote from Abroad between January and June of this year overseas came from people aged 30 or younger.

There’s no question that U.S. voters living abroad can swing elections. But tragically, there are a lot of myths floating around out there that may discourage Americans living abroad from sending in our ballots. So let’s get a few things straight:

1. U.S. citizens over 18 have the right to vote, no matter where they live in world.
2. A current U.S. address is not needed to vote.
3. Absentee ballots may sometimes take longer to be counted, but an election result cannot be certified until all valid ballots are tallied.

As we gear up for election day this year, it’s vital that we Americans living overseas do our part and make our votes count. If you’re a U.S. citizen living abroad and you want to vote, go to votefromabroad.org today to register and request a ballot. Time is running out!