Here’s my report on Tuesday’s DEMOCRATS ABROAD meeting and a way to get help with your overseas ballots. Please pass this along to the US expats/immigrants you know personally!!!
Cindy and I went to Los Jardines (The Gardens) Restaurant in Grecia Costa Rica to attend this month’s DEMOCRATS ABROAD meeting, which officially got underway at about 12:30.
Cindy and I got there early, so I took some ambiance pictures of the venue so you can vicariously tag along:
The entrance…
Close up of the painted VW bug…
miniature tractor…
toucan sculpture
artificial tree inside restaurant
I took a lot more pix. If you’re interested in seeing them, visit my Facebook page.
Cindy and I picked a two person table next to a wall (since we’re both wallflowers!) but as people came in who I recognized — Cindy Thomas, Julie Verne, Sherron Bloom, Kathy Neckar, Lydia Barrow-Hankins — I usually got up and went over to greet them briefly and exchange a few words (while staying within my comfort zone).
Next to where we were sitting was Steve Johnson, a member of the Executive Committee of Democrats Abroad Costa Rica, who drove in from from Heredia to attend and present at this event. He’s an encyclopedia of knowledge when it comes to voting in U.S. elections from overseas.
Another member named Lynn joined us at our small table. Cindy and I ordered papas fritas (French fries); I ordered a chocolate shake. We had already eaten at our homes, so we didn’t want much.
When the meeting got underway, the two main speakers were Kathy Neckar and Lydia Barrow-Hankins, both of whom I already knew from the NO KINGS Rally in San Jose this past summer.
Kathy asked us to combine tables (those of us with two people at a table) and to spend fifteen minutes discussing any topic that was uppermost in our minds about the upcoming midterms.
At our table were two people from Florida, one from California, Cindy from Maine, and me from Washington State. I asked them which of their states had 100% (or majority) mail-in ballots. Three of the four of us did; Cindy wasn’t sure, but she had always voted absentee since getting here nine years ago.
We discussed the anxiety over having our mail-in ballots in the crosshairs of the T-Wrecks regime. Other tables (I later found out, as a speaker from each table stood to comment on what their issues had been) discussed this topic, the possibility of the regime throwing a monkey wrench into the system in other ways (possible Insurrection Act or friendly fire bombing so T-Wrecks could call the elections off, Elon Musk putting his thumbs on the scales using his satellites to alter incoming electronically submitted votes in space, ICE and military at polling places, removal of polling places and drop boxes, USPS shenanigans, and more).
In other words, everyone was anxious about the ongoing multiple attempts to tip the election to the GOP, even though the polls are indicating that DEMS are in great position to take back the House and possibly even the Senate since only 33% of the population thinks T and the GOP are doing a good job representing their concerns and needs.
When our discussion period was over, Kathy had someone come up from each table to mention the topics we chose to discuss.
The moderators (including eventually Steve Johnson and Lydia’s successor Claudia Marcus) attempted to reassure us us (as best they could, knowing full well the machinations going on around us all) that the antidote to anxiety is action over the next 70 days. Steve said overseas voters fall under the same protections as military members overseas and our votes should be safe from USPS shenanigans.
They encouraged us to think of one or two or more expats/immigrants who are here in Costa Rica that we know and to ask them if they already have a solid plan to vote in the upcoming midterm election.
If the answer is no, or “I didn’t know I could vote from here”, or “I have questions about the process”, to let them know that help is available and that there will be voting assistance event on September 24th in Grecia to help anyone who needs anything: printing, faxing, AND/OR mailing the ballots after they’re filled out, signed, (and witnessed if necessary in your state), via mail/correo, fax, email, or Embassy pouch. There will be trained people to help figure out what they need to do to satisfy the requirements in your state.
In other words, all you really have to do is fill in your ballot (vote), sign where required, and bring the ballot and all of its processing instructions and virtual envelopes (or your phone with access to your emailed ballot) and they will help you figure out the rest.
It simply cannot get any easier than this to vote from overseas, so take advantage of the opportunity! The contact information for the event (and how to submit for an overseas ballot, and more) is linked below, to make the process even easier for you! (So keep reading until you reach it!)
TREK TALK
After the meeting ended, I was allowed to speak for a minute so I let the remaining attendees (about half of the attendees left before I stood up to make my announcement) know that “Today is the 60th anniversary of Star Trek The Original Series and people across the globe are getting together in various locations to offer the Vulcan salute and wish Star Trek a Happy 60TH Anniversary, so if any of you would like —”
Before I even got a few words past “60th anniversary of Star Trek” several people cheered, grinned, and offered the Vulcan salute, so I knew I’d be getting most of the remaining people to join me for a picture and for a video of the moment, which I sent on to Rod Roddenberry (Gene’s son).
So, here is the best image and below that is a link to the video of the moment when we all sent our best wishes to Rod and all Trek fans everywhere:
Some of the DEMOCRATS ABROAD folks
celebrating STAR TREK TOS’s 60th anniversary
with the Vulcan salute.
You can hear/view the international greeting at this link:
https://www.facebook.com/674337914/videos/pcb.10165774213262915/2237085830421798
AND NOW: HERE ARE THE LINKS TO HELP MAKE SURE YOUR BALLOTS GET PROCESSED,
RECEIVED AND COUNTED ON
(OR BEFORE)
NOVEMBER 3RD.
DO IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER YOUR STATE LETS YOU THROUGH THE STARTING GATE!!
The sooner you get it done, the sooner you can relax and your vote will be there before anyone can throw any more monkey wrenches into the system.
IF YOU DON’T HAVE YOUR OVERSEAS BALLOT via EMAIL
BY END OF DAY SEPT 19th, contact your local election official. If you don’t know who that is or how to contact them, visit Votefromabroad.org.
If you are ALREADY registered to vote, you can request your overseas ballot TODAY (don’t wait; if you aren’t registered, they will let you know and you can register remotely):
Grecia-Area U.S. Expats and Immigrants:
Need personal help printing, faxing, snail mailing, e-mailing, or getting your ballot to the Embassy pouch bound for the U.S.?
YOU’RE IN LUCK!
There will be an in-person ballot event on September 24th in Grecia:
More about the restaurant and location/address:
I will be there. Will you?
Please pass this along to everyone else you know in Grecia (or anywhere else in Costa Rica) who is an expat or immigrant from the U.S. YOU CAN STILL VOTE IN THE MIDTERM ELECTION AS LONG AS YOU’RE LISTED AS A REGISTERED VOTER (check your registration status TODAY — shenanigans are underway!). If you aren’t registered, or have been dropped from the voting roles, you can get that corrected if you act FAST!!!