A former member of AWC Bern and her two children, US citizens born in Bern, recently wished to move their voter registrations owing to repatriation of the citizen parent to Michigan. Unfortunately, they received both obstruction and incorrect information from their new local election official, who denied that the citizen children had the right to vote. Nevertheless, the parent persisted, and the county clerk got involved and provided correct information. As a result, all three voters concerned can continue to exercise their right to vote.
Register and request a ballot early
Overseas voters should register early: they sometimes encounter problems, usually owing to ignorance on the part of the local election official. For example, at a registration event at the US Embassy in Denmark, two voters told me that their local official in New York had refused to register them, claiming that moving overseas meant that Americans lost their citizenship and therefore their right to vote (!!!). The US Consul solved that one for us, by phoning the official in our presence and setting them straight in no uncertain terms.
Almost any problem an overseas voter has with registration or securing a ballot can be solved if there is enough time to do the job. You can get information and support from FAWCO (), our partner the US Vote Foundation (https://www.usvotefoundation.org/voter-help-desk), your local embassy or consulate and – one hopes – your local election official. Persistence pays off.
Register with the US Vote Foundation.