Democrats Abroad Ireland is now in their 26th year of registering American Voters abroad across Ireland, and are very enthusiastic about their important role in this upcoming election.
Patti Shields, Chairperson of Democrats Abroad Ireland, said in a statement on July 27 that "President Biden has done a tremendous job in his first term as President advancing important legislation to protect women, veterans, seniors, and marginalized communities.
"His record of public service spanning over 50+ years is widely celebrated and honored, and his special relationship with Ireland - including his historic visit here in April of 2023 - will be forever cherished.
"His decision to step aside in this race was personal and shows the true character and integrity of Joe Biden as a person, not just a politician. He articulated perfectly that democracy and America are unique ideas that need to be protected, and it is time to pass that torch to a new generation as we are at an inflection point as a country in terms of what the America of the future looks like.
"We share his optimism and love of country, and it is our job to deliver Democrats the votes we need to secure the future of the United States."
Using data from the 2016 Irish census, DA Ireland estimates there could be as many as 25-35K eligible voters in Ireland for this election cycle.
Democrats Abroad Ireland is very excited about the prospect of delivering these critical votes: "We know this election could be decided by the slimmest of margins.
"Our goal is to get as many of these voters registered and ballots requested early so that they can be received and counted in plenty of time.
"We have seen votes from abroad be the determining voter margins in key elections in battleground states, and we are energized that we can deliver those votes here from Ireland.
"While many voters in Ireland are from states like New York, New Jersey, California, and Massachusetts, there are growing numbers of voters from battleground states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, Virginia, Arizona, Michigan, and Ohio."
Shields added: "Our volunteer leadership team in DA Ireland carries votes for Ohio, Arizona, Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Virginia, and while every vote counts these battleground states are especially important in the Presidential race."
DA Ireland held a Global Presidential Primary in March of this year, and since then has had a variety of virtual and in-person events to raise awareness and excitement about voting from abroad.
Democrats Abroad voter registration in Ireland.
There are a number of upcoming virtual events planned during the Democratic Convention on August 19-20 in Chicago and in-person events will ramp up later this summer including an event during the Aer Lingus Classic College Football weekend in Dublin, voter registration at the Kennedy Summer School in New Ross, Co Wexford, and on-campus events at both Trinity and UCD this fall to motivate turn out for students studying from abroad.
While voter registration started in earnest January 1, the recent announcement by President Biden to step aside as well as the rhetoric from the Republican National Convention has driven both voter registrations and volunteer requests up significantly last week.
"Average voter requests have surged 535% over this past week over the YTD average, and my phone has non-stop fielding calls from potential volunteers both Irish and Irish American" Chairperson Shields shared on Saturday, also adding "this trend has also been seen Globally as well."
Shields said: "It is very encouraging to have the abroad population energized at this point in the election cycle as it gives us plenty of time to make sure voter registrations and ballot requests are made in plenty of time."
Ballots requested now are usually mailed out in early Fall so that they can be received and processed and mailed back in plenty of time before each election.
US Citizens who live abroad are eligible to vote for Federal Offices (President/Vice President, Senator[s] and US representatives) although there are individual state rules as to timing, process, and specific qualifications for voting including other offices. Voters should go to VoteFromAbroad.org to easily register and request their ballot with most states supporting electronic submission of that request. There is also one-on-one live help through Zoom the Vote to complete their registration and ballot request via live sessions as well as one-on-one appointment availability with voter specialists outside of the session windows.
For more information about how to connect with Democrats Abroad, you can email [email protected].
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