Event of the Month - Archive

International Meeting for 'Democrats Abroad'

On Thursday October 25th, the Young Democrats and Democrats Abroad kicked off the Democrats Abroad Regional Meeting, Mexico City. The meeting took place at the Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico and lasted through Saturday and Sunday. Thursday’s event was a mixer to begin the weekend. With about 40 Democrats in attendance, the mood was light and hopeful.

The mission of the Democrats in attendance was clearly spelled out in the evening’s brief speeches: register more voters abroad. At present, more than 6 million U.S. citizens live abroad. However, in the 2004 presidential elections only 230,000 U.S. citizens living abroad registered to vote. Clearly, Democrats Abroad has a hefty goal ahead of itself.

For voters already living abroad, the fastest way to register is on-line through one of the many voter registration sites. Democrats Abroad sponsors the non-partisan webpage VoteFromAbroad.org which they launched in 2006.

Speaking with Regional Vice Chair of the Americas Leo Perez Minaya about the mood in the Dominican Republic, his home country, Perez’s zeal was apparent as he explained that the main goal for Democrats Abroad in the Dominican Republic is to increase the number of registered voters from 1,000 to 5,000 by the presidential election next November.

When asked what he hopes to see happen for the Dominican Republic should a Democrat take office, Perez approached the question instead from a global perspective, expressing his belief that all nations would benefit from democratic leadership in the U.S., specifically in foreign relations and environmental affairs. According to Perez, the Bush administration uses “the same recipe” in its foreign policy despite vast cultural differences among countries and distinct historical relations with the United States.

Perez’s sentiments were mirrored by the rest of those in attendance. The topic of conversation was not which Democrat was to receive their support, but rather the ambition of having a Democrat elected to office next November. Certainly, among a group of expatriates already living abroad, their desire was for the building of international bridges. These Democrats were anxious to begin the process of repairing the damaged reputation the U.S. possesses, which they felt had been caused by the Bush administration.

Return to top