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There's one simple thing you can do now to help Democrats in close races. No, it's not donate. [1]
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Date: 2022-08-13
In Georgia in November 2020, over 26,000 eligible voters requested overseas/military ballots and over 18,000 returned them. The election there was decided by under 12,000 votes, so each one of these returned was crucial.
Unfortunately, the turnout rate of civilians living abroad and military families stationed away from home tends to be much lower than that of the general population. There's a very large, very blue group of voters that usually don't participate.
Many people living, studying or serving away from home are not aware of their voting rights. Many simply don’t know they can vote.
The best antidote is a friend or family member who reaches out with timely information: 1-Under federal law, ballots are available to all service personnel and their family members who are on active duty and absent from their home voting precinct--anywhere, in the United States or abroad. 2-Ballots are also available to all civilians who are away from the United States. They can request their ballots NOW at fvap.gov or votefromabroad.org. Federal law also gives these voters special protection and flexibility in voting not applicable to other people. For instance, ballots are available earlier than for the general public—at least 45 days before election day. Many people can request and return ballots electronically. Some rules vary by state; all of them are detailed at these two sites.*
Will these voters be disenfranchised simply because they don’t know they can vote? The reality is that many will be. Campaigns and GOTV groups may not be able to reach them.
You can.
The best GOTV resource we have is our personal connections.
Who needs to hear from you?
Reach out to the people you know who are eligible to vote while away from home. Here’s a new Action Item in Mobilize to help you do it. a newin Mobilize to help you do it.
Many people simply don't know they can vote. A personal word from you can make all the difference!
*Many other voters, not in these categories, are also eligible to vote by absentee ballot. State absentee voting rules vary. These ballots are requested through local elections offices, listed here.
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[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/8/13/2116376/-There-s-one-simple-thing-you-can-do-now-to-help-Democrats-in-close-races-No-it-s-not-donate
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