Navigating a foreign process: Students abroad cast their ballots in 2024 elections

Absentee ballots and voter registration worry many first-time voters in the presidential election. However, for college students studying abroad, an ocean of separation between themselves and the American political process makes it harder. 

While Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump duel for power in Washington on Nov. 5, students abroad have pushed through the overseas absentee process for months.  

Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, the president and CEO of the U.S. Vote Foundation and Overseas Vote—nonprofit and nonpartisan voter assistance groups—is an American citizen who has lived abroad for over twenty years. Following her own difficulties casting her ballot abroad, she created the “Study Abroad and Vote!” toolkit for students and the Voter Journey Map Tool. 

“First of all, they’re nervous about the move … they’re coping with new everything, including a new school, potentially. It’s probably not on their horizon or in their thinking that they are leaving the country with the right to vote in their pocket,” Dzieduszycka-Suinat said. 

According to Dzieduszycka-Suinat, the overall voter turnout rate for all Americans abroad was 7.8% in 2020. Further, according to the Federal Voting Assistance Program – an overseas voter assistance program created by the U.S. Department of Defense – turnout abroad for the 2022 midterm elections was just 3.4%. 

Kyle Reinheimer, a political science and American studies student at George Washington University, is voting during his semester abroad in Florence, Italy. A Florida native, Reinheimer described his voting process as “decently difficult” in an Instagram interview. 

Reinheimer was unsure why his home state of Florida denied his initial online ballot request form, so he turned to a Palm Beach Country website. However, after faxing his ballot to the county twice upon request, he said Palm Beach County failed to update him on his ballot status.  

According to the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office, the office is not legally required to inform voters that it has received a ballot. However, it encourages voters to check through online ballot tracking platforms. Reinheimer said the office told him it would get back to him in a few days but didn’t when he contacted the office during his faxing process. 

“I figured it would be a simple enough process, so I didn’t worry about it too much,” Reinheimer said. 

Carsyn Parmelee, another George Washington University student in Reinheimer’s Florence program, said in an Instagram interview she felt “confident” in the system. As a New Jersey voter, Parmelee began voting in early September and did not experience specific problems. 

California made it ‘easy’ 

Mallory Cooper, a UCLA student studying English Literature, also experienced minimal issues submitting her ballot. During her fall semester at King’s College London, she used instructions from votefromabroad.org—which provides guidance similar to Dzieduszycka-Suinat’s website—to cast her California ballot. 

“California makes it super easy … I got confirmation that they counted my ballot a few days later. It was very, very easy,” Cooper said. 

Cooper said a friend in her London program, originally from Illinois, described his voting process as “a hassle.” Cooper’s peer was able to obtain his ballot but could not fax the form, so he was required to mail the ballot overseas at his own expense. 

Despite challenges, Dzieduszycka-Suinat claims that the overseas voting process has become more accessible. She noted that the previous overseas process in the early 2000s involved a cardstock application, a lengthy instruction book in “eight-point sepia brown type,” and minimal online guidance. 

Aside from voting itself, Cooper notes that she does not feel as politically disconnected as anticipated. The sentiment is partially due to an American politics club at her London college. 

“I think it’s hilarious. They had a trivia night, and we went. We were just talking to some of the Brits about the election,” Cooper said. 

American University student Eve Bryner, a public health major currently studying in Madrid, Spain, also remains connected by encouraging other Americans to both register and vote. While experiencing Madrid’s nightlife, Bryner has had multiple conversations encouraging voter participation. 

“I’ve had two conversations in the club with swing state voters from Arizona and Wisconsin, both of whom were originally apathetic about the election,” Bryner said. “Hopefully, I’ve convinced them to exercise their civil duties.” 

Community abroad 

Bryner’s peer, Ana Martino, is another AU student abroad in Spain for the fall semester. She noted a sense of community among students in voting. 

“Whether it’s going to the U.S. embassy together to drop off our ballot or answering questions, we have all been making sure everyone feels supported and doesn’t forget to vote,” Martino said. 

Parmelee remains similarly invested in the election outcome. 

“With such a monumental race, I would want to remain constantly updated, which is not feasible unless I stay up throughout the night,” Parmelee said. “It will be anxiety-inducing for sure.” 

Dzieduszycka-Suinat encourages students to use the resources available to remember their “civic duty” while abroad and to stay in touch with American politics.  

“Everyone abroad would vote in our place if they could … Everywhere I go, they know I’m an American, they know I’m involved, and they’re worried,” Dzieduszycka-Suinat said. “Let’s not let the world down.”