When was the last time you visited your Congressperson?
Are you going to be in your "hometown" this summer, i.e. your voting district? Ever thought about going to your Congressperson's “district” office (which is just as good as going to the DC office)? Well, why would you want to do that?
In addition to a new experience (for you, and possibly for a teenager in your family), you can help to “put a face” on your Congressperson’s overseas constituency! A visit to the district office brings home even more powerfully than one to DC how you maintain ties with family, friends, and roots in the United States!
Here are a few ideas on making your appointment and what you might say once you are past the door…
1. Because it is your own Representative (whether you’re in your hometown or in DC – they do travel to both!), try to see your Representative personally (contact information for DC and "district" offices at www.house.gov). To do so, write a letter* (not an email – attach a letter to an email or fax your letter – don't write a physical letter because they have to be screened and take forever to arrive) to the Scheduler (only!), saying that you are a constituent living abroad and will be briefly in town and would like to meet your Representative because… (give a personal reason but not a long story).
2. If that's not possible, call the office and ask to meet with the Legislative Director and or staffer for foreign relations, if you are in Washington, or with a policy staffer in in the district office.
3. Whoever you see, there are a couple of obvious things to promote:
• Joining the Americans Abroad Caucus – Caucus members show they care about and understand America’s global population and what it represents for the domestic economy. Potential members should contact the office of Caucus Chair Carolyn Maloney. The more members in the Caucus, the clearer it is that that global population matters!
• Co-sponsoring HR 597 (the Commission on Americans Living Abroad Act, creating a federal commission to study "overseas" issues).
• A personal (but brief and clear) story about how double taxation hurts you, how hard it is for you to vote from overseas, how filling out the FBAR takes far more than 1 hour, how easy it is to have more than the FBAR threshold amount of $10,000 in an account, how selling an apartment abroad can subject you to capital gains tax in the US even if you took a loss on the house due to exchange rates, how much you have to pay your international tax preparer to file your taxes or your form 8938 while you are really not a rich person, how losing the Foreign Earned Income Exclusion would price you out of the market in your host country, how you just lost your US investment account or were denied a new account abroad because of your US citizenship, or how difficult it is to comply from many countries abroad with IRS and Treasury e-filing requirements…
• And tell them you belong to a wonderful organization of American citizens abroad that would love to organize a meeting or a town hall if they ever travel to your country!
* If your Representative has a "request a meeting" form on his/her website, you won't have to write a letter but remember that you'll have to give your voting address, not the foreign one! It’s a good idea to put in the second address line "Voting address only; overseas voter" because otherwise your Congressperson’s office will send mail to the address; if it is returned undeliverable, they will assume you are a fraud. You may have a problem entering your phone number with a foreign country code so if possible, give your US cell number or the phone number of a family member who doesn’t mind.
And remember always to be positive! If you don’t know it well, you should check your Congressperson’s position on a few issues you care about and be ready to thank him/her for a vote you approve of. It is good to hear how you can help but it’s just as good to know that you have helped!
And tell your Congressperson about his/her overseas constituency! Thanks to FAWCO partner Overseas Vote Foundation, you can download and take specific information on the overseas voters in your state. Click here for the fact sheets that will make “overseas voter” a reality for your Congressperson…
Have a great (and productive!) trip to the US…