How Americans abroad can have a say in elections

Four years ago, they decided to hold elections in two battleground states: some 3 million Americans were allowed to vote in the United States from abroad. Trump supporters want to prevent that from happening. Two Swiss voters voting in a disputed US state have a clear view on this.

Natasha Hähni, Phoenix/ch media

“Even if you live far away, domestic politics matter to you,” John Harder said. The U.S. citizen lives in Zurich, while the Democrat votes in the swing state of North Carolina.

John Harder was one of the Americans who helped decide the U.S. election abroad.Image source: AZ/zvg

According to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), approximately 3 million Americans can vote abroad. Switzerland even ranks eighth globally on the Ministry of Defense's list of countries, with nearly 80,000 voters – ahead of Germany. Most Americans abroad live in Canada (about 600,000), followed by the United Kingdom (nearly 300,000), France and Israel (about 150,000 each). Other government sources estimate the number to be significantly higher or lower due to a lack of reporting requirements.

Votes from abroad—especially those that count in swing states—could be crucial in a presidential election, as Suzi LeVine, the former U.S. ambassador to Switzerland, said: “In 2020, they were Votes in Georgia and Arizona were decisive for Joe Biden's victory. “Both states had 18,000 votes cast from overseas. Democrats won Georgia by 12,000 votes and Arizona by 10,000 votes.

Suzi LeVine was the United States Ambassador to Switzerland under President Barack Obama.Image: Sandra Ardizzone

This is a thorn in the side of many Trump supporters. In the key swing state of Pennsylvania, Republican members of Congress recently tried unsuccessfully to reject military and civilian ballots received from overseas in the run-up to Election Night. Republicans have tried similar approaches in Michigan and North Carolina. Election officials and experts criticized the moves as a planned effort to challenge the results of the Nov. 5 election.

Voting overseas is not easy

“I’m not surprised that Republicans want to limit our right to participate,” Darcy Alexandra said. Like Harder, she lives in Zurich. She voted for Kamala Harris in the swing state of Arizona. Alexandra has only been voting since 2008. “As a radical student, I didn't vote for a while,” the researchers said. She is so disappointed in the American electoral system.

Darcy Alexandra from Switzerland cast her vote in the US swing state of Arizona.Image source: AZ/zvg

Voting from abroad can be really challenging. There is no central system that tracks where Americans live, so it's up to them to register and vote. Perhaps this is why voting rates among U.S. citizens abroad are low.

For John Harder, not voting because the process is complex or difficult is out of the question. “The United States has tremendous influence on the world,” he said. Everyone who has a say in an election has a moral obligation to vote. This view has become even more solidified in his mind since leaving the United States in 2019 and witnessing firsthand how people in other countries talk about the United States. “They know and are concerned whether the country is heading in the wrong direction,” he said.

Harder finds it difficult for conspiracy theories to become part of political discourse at the moment. Environmental researchers are particularly interested in climate-related research. The recent hurricanes that hit North Carolina created the perfect breeding ground for this. Many claim that the environmental disaster is controlled by the current democratic government. “It's interesting that those who believe this also call climate change a lie, which has been proven to be a lie for many years,” he said. He added: “I hope we can focus on the important issues again. ” (aargauerzeitung.ch/nzu)

Drug traffickers conduct criminal transactions with impunity through platforms such as Telegram. They rely on willing helpers, old methods and new tricks to get expensive poisons to people.

The woman was arrested by police in Zurich one night in June 2020. As Zurich-Limatt prosecutors later said in the indictment, she drove her Alfa Romeo as a courier for a “drug ordering and delivery service on Telegram.” In the car, she had, among other things, two small quantities of cocaine in Minigrip bags ready for delivery. Drugs such as cocaine, marijuana, ecstasy, amphetamines and LSD worth 24,000 francs were seized at her residence. She planned to transport these drugs to customers in the Zurich area and consume some of the drugs herself.