An article by Laureen Scharps (AIWC Frankfurt)
The deadline to register to vote is approaching. Your local election official should receive your application at least 45 days before the midterm elections, to be held on November 6, 2018. That means you need to submit your application now or by early September the latest.
How to register to vote
Go online to one of the following links, find your state, county and city, fill out the relevant information and send it in through:
Why you should vote
First, as a U.S. citizen and eligible voter, you have the right to vote wherever you live in the world. And voting is your chance to draw lawmakers’ attention to the many issues affecting overseas Americans that need to be addressed. FAWCO, the Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO) and American Citizens Abroad (ACA) work together to urge Congress and the White House to address the issues about which overseas Americans care most. This list includes the following.
Taxation
FAWCO and its partners call for the simplification of U.S. tax compliance for U.S. citizens abroad, reducing reporting and the burdens and costs of compliance (FATCA, FBAR, etc.).
Banking
We advocate easing the reporting burden on foreign financial institutions, to allow Americans abroad to maintain bank accounts where they reside; ensuring access to low-cost savings and retirement products worldwide: and ending U.S. tax discrimination against foreign pension funds.
Citizenship
We advocate transmission of U.S. citizenship to children born to or adopted by US citizens abroad, and transmission through citizen grandparents.
Voting
We call for easy exercise of voting rights for U.S. citizens aboard, including citizens who have not lived in the U.S. as adults.
Representation
The 8.6 million or so Americans overseas would constitute the 12th largest state in the U,S. if they were taken together, but they are all too often treated as low-hanging fruit. We seek better representation of our interests, currently through the Americans Abroad Caucus in the House of Representatives.
Medicare and Social Security
We advocate the extension of Medicare benefits to U.S. citizens abroad, and the elimination of penalties to U.S. citizens for drawing on retirement programs of both the U.S. and foreign government.
For more details about these and other issues, see the US Issues section of the FAWCO website, and especially the section on Overseas Americans Week and the position papers agreed with FAWCO partners.
When you vote, find out which candidates support overseas Americans on these issues, so you can make your voice heard!
What you can do to hold politicians accountable
First: vote!!
In addition, you can write a letter, an email or a fax to members of Congress with your concerns. Find contact details for your Representative and Senators either here or here (fax numbers).