By Frauke R-H
Have Your Say in Determining Who Is Running for Federal Office Confused by the Primaries? As we probably all know, the Democratic and Republican candidates for President will be chosen by ballot at their conventions next summer. Delegates to these conventions are chosen according to the Party Rules and are usually pledged to a particular candidate. This pledge is no longer binding after a certain number of inconclusive ballots have been held. To help determine the preferred candidates of the electorate, all but eleven of the states hold “Presidential Preference Primaries.” In the others, candidates are chosen at caucuses or state conventions held within the framework of the party. There are also “State Primaries” to choose candidates for all of the other offices, including U.S. senators and representatives in the House. In most states, this primary is held on a different date from the Presidential Preference Primary and later in the year. As overseas voters interested in protecting our tax situation, we should only vote for candidates for federal office (i.e., Senator and House Rep) in these State Primaries. Before primaries developed in the twentieth century, political party bosses exclusively made nominations for public office. Progressives in Wisconsin first introduced the primary process in 1905 in an attempt to enlist rank-and-file participation in the selection process. Depending on the importance of the “party bosses,” the system grew or faded until about ten years ago, when all states held State Primaries. It is evident that this process is essential, because the higher the turnout at the primaries, the greater the likelihood that the candidate for office will be representative of the citizens who will elect her or him. March 2 is the next big date for Presidential Preference Primaries to be held in CA, CT, GA, MD, MA, NY, OH, RI, TX, VT, and WA. Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi will hold theirs March 9; Illinois on March 16. New Voting Section on the FAWCO Website The old “Voting in ... 2002” information has been replaced by Voting from Overseas in the Year 2004, which has six sub-sections at this time:
This is information for the general public. It will be updated regularly. The Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) Website We have been perusing the website of the FVAP (www.fvap.gov). We find it to be extremely easy to navigate and full of nice charts and lists and links, such as www.fvap.gov/vao/etschart.html. If you print out these charts you will always have the information at hand. Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) Add your email address to your completed Federal Post Card Application (FPCA). It is strongly recommended by the FVAP that applicants add a legible email address in the “Remarks” section of the FPCA, as many election districts have begun communicating this way with their electors. Some have even sent the blank ballot by email. This could reduce the ballot transit time considerably. Progress! Consult your local voting assistance volunteer, or log onto www.fawco.org or www.fvap.gov, for information on how to register to vote. Have your say in determining who is going to run for federal office from your state! Information from the Voting-from-Overseas Committee based on info from Kathy Webster, Chair.
Information on Oversees Voting for Newcomers Since 1975 U.S. law has provided that adult citizens living overseas can vote in U.S. elections. The process is different from voting in the States, but not necessarily more difficult. 1. You vote absentee in the Election District of your last residence in the U.S. before you left to live abroad. You must know the exact address of this last residence. 2. Eleven states have legislation in place to allow the children of at least one U.S. citizen parent to vote at the same address as the parent, even if they never lived there. Other states usually accept this procedure. 3. Any time during an election year you may submit to your Election District a filled-in Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), which will serve – in all states – both to request a ballot for each election that year, and to register, if necessary. This should be accomplished at least 60 days before Election Day. Hard copies of the FPCA are available from Frauke Rademacher-Heidemann, heiradem@aol.com. 4. In particular, note that, by law, the act of voting from overseas for Federal office only (i.e., President, Vice President, Senator, and Representative in the House) cannot be used by the Internal Revenue Service as a reason to change your tax status at the federal, state, or local level. Voting a full ballot depends on your state and is your decision. Some states automatically provide a federal-offices-only ballot for overseas voters. 5. As the organization of elections is a state's right under the U.S. Constitution, each state has different regulations for voting absentee from overseas. Before submitting an FPCA, therefore, you must consult the regulations for your state, published in the Voting Assistance Guide (VAG) by the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP), where you can also find the address to which you must send your completed FPCA. Note that many states require your social security number; some your passport number; and a very few still require witnesses or worse: notarization! 6. We are hoping
to eliminate such obstacles to voting overseas. The new "Help
America Vote Act of 2002" has "helped" a bit, as have
the initiatives of many states.
Remember, you can still support your country's democratic principles by voting absentee from overseas! Information based on article by Kathy Webster, Chair, FAWCO Voting-from-Overseas Committee.
Once again there is good news regarding the recognition of U.S. driving permits in Germany. Starting now, any drivers license holder from the U.S. State of Iowa may apply for an automatic conversion of their Iowa drivers permit into a German license. Likewise, German citizens in Iowa may convert their license into an Iowa-issued permit. This brings the total number of reciprocal drivers licenses AMCHAM has assisted in facilitating to 33. AMCHAM is making progress with other states as well, but the key to success is your involvement. If your home state has not yet signed an agreement with Germany (particularly Georgia, Maine, Texas, California, and New York) and you would like to assist AMCHAM in lobbying your U.S. state to act on this issue, AMCHAM would appreciate hearing from you. You can contact jranderson@amcham.de. Additional information on the conversion process for U.S. drivers licenses in Germany can be found at AMCHAM homepage under “info center” (www.amcham.de). Based on information from JR Anderson, AMCHAM, Manager Government Relations, with permission to reprint in Currents.
Sparkling eyes and happy smiles were the result when Irmingard Z and Frauke R-H went to visit Amnesty for Women with a certificate for 1000 euros from the silent auction at our Thanksgiving Dinner. Pictured here are Frauke (far left) and Irmingard (far right) with Julieta Manzi, Pat Mix, Agnieszka Sieja and Regina Wenzel from Amnesty for Women.
Not sure where to go next and spend that precious time you reserved for travel and relaxation? Go to the FAWCO website (www.fawco.org) and click on Member Login, then Travel Tips. You’ll find loads of information on cities, hotels, interesting locations, sights not to miss: from Antigua to Zurich. And in case you have questions about safety, click on the Travel Warnings link for more information. If you don’t have the FAWCO User Name and Password, see the Member Information in the Members’ Section of this website.
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Sparkling
Eyes!