U.S. elections could now hinge on voters living tens of thousands of miles away, according to new estimates from the Democratic National Party, prompting a flurry of new efforts to mobilize overseas voters and Kamala Harris He hopes to sway the election results for vice president. Good feeling.
According to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), an estimated 1.6 million U.S. voters living overseas are now eligible to vote in one of seven battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. . These states have a total of 93 votes in the Electoral College and are considered crucial in determining the next president in an increasingly close election race.
Now, with Harris and former President Donald Trump in a virtual dead heat just two weeks before Election Day, the bloc could have more influence than ever before.
Democrats are wasting little time winning over important segments of American voters overseas.
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A woman drops her ballot into a ballot box in Norwalk, California. (Frederick J. Brown)
Earlier this year, the DNC announced it would invest $300,000 in Democrats Abroad, a group aimed at helping mobilize American voters overseas.
The investment is the first donation from the DNC during a presidential campaign, a spokesperson told Fox News.
It aims to increase voter registration efforts by overseas U.S. voters, educate residents about registration and mail-in voting operations, and broadly mobilize the public. They also placed ads on social media.
Voters living overseas face additional challenges when voting, often having to submit their ballots by mail to the state where they are registered.
US overseas voters have historically done so. vote at a much lower turnout in national elections when compared to elections in the continental United States.
Additionally, 47% of military voters living overseas participated in the 2020 election, while only 8% of non-military voters voted from overseas, a statistic Democrats hope to change.
In an email to Fox News, a DNC spokesperson said President Biden's narrow 44,000-vote lead in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia and Wisconsin contributed to his 2020 victory.
Georgia is considering new election measures even as early voting continues. (Getty Images)
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At least two of these states, Georgia and Arizona, had significant differences among overseas voters and played a key role in the outcome of the close 2022 midterm elections two years later.
Now, as the race heats up heading into the final weeks, Democrats believe this bloc could hand Harris a victory.
“This election will be won by a close margin. Every vote counts,” DNC Deputy Communications Director Abhi Rahman told Fox News in a statement.
The move comes as Republicans in at least three battleground states are trying to crack down on overseas voting in the final stretch before Election Day. The National Republican Party and state-level groups in Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina filed suit this month seeking additional restrictions on the vetting and verification process, alleging a lack of adequate safeguards.
Absentee ballots are being prepared to be mailed on September 17, 2024 at the Wake County Board of Elections in Raleigh, North Carolina. North Carolina will send out absentee ballots to military members and overseas residents by September 20th. (Alison Joyce/Getty Images)
Although federal law leaves each state to establish its own election rules, the Uniformed and Overseas National Absentee Voting Act tasks the Secretary of Defense with: Register and vote For U.S. military and government employees living overseas.
As of this writing, two judges in Michigan and North Carolina have dismissed the lawsuits for lack of evidence and risk of voter disenfranchisement.
The Democratic Party is criticized the legal promotion This is a last-ditch effort by Republicans to limit turnout among what until recently was a fairly reliable base of Republican support.
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“We're going to win this election by engaging all voters, no matter where they live,” Rahman told Fox News, adding that their investment “supports our commitment to leave no stone unturned.” It shows,” he added.
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