Rita Soni, who heads the Corporate Social Responsibility division at YES bank in Bombay, has fond memories of being an active participant in the 2004 US elections, despite the results. She joined Democrats Abroad India a few months ago, and to her this community of politically like-minded individuals is a boon of sorts. “Being overseas means we are missing out on all the great things going on back home. So it is wonderful to meet with the Democrats in India, and take part in events such as straw polls, debates and discussions,” she says.

Rita also highlights that the opportunity to vote online for the Global Presidential Primary has been welcomed by most Democrats abroad. “The absentee ballot is cumbersome, and there are concerns that the votes may not reach in time and hence not count. Voting online is a bold new move and it will definitely help Democrats living abroad feel like more active participants in the voting process,” she says.

Sauvage-Mar is quick to point out that their fundamental discussions and activities do largely mirror the mood back home at any point of time. “In November, we had a straw poll where Hillary Clinton emerged as the winner, followed closely by Obama. This was right after one of the televised debates, and our predictions were exactly the same as what the analysts back home were predicting.”

How it works

Democrats Abroad launched votefromabroad.org in 2006, giving Democrats living abroad a chance to vote, not by absentee ballot. For the Global Presidential Primary, Democrats overseas will be able to vote online.

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