Dems, GOP Target American Voters Abroad

Rubber ducks scribbled with the names of John Kerry and George W. Bush bob and swirl down a babbling brook in this Vienna suburb.

``Go, John, go!'' shouts a group of American expatriates, some using hockey sticks to give the Kerry ducks a helpful slap downstream. Not surprisingly, the Democrat wins by a waterslide.

The Federal Election Commission wouldn't approve. But the Austrian chapter of Democrats Abroad says the mock race achieved its aim: to awaken the 7,000 Americans in Austria to the approaching U.S. presidential election, and get eligible voters to register. Mindful of the recount fiasco that put Bush in the White House four years ago, Democrats and Republicans everywhere from Hong Kong to Hungary are aggressively targeting American expatriates, whose absentee ballots could prove decisive in a tight race.

With an estimated 3 million U.S. citizens of voting age living overseas, ``We're like the 51st state,'' said Katie Solon, a Colorado Springs, Colo., native and Democrats Abroad volunteer in Austria. ``We're riding a wave of renewed interest.''

Strong anti-American sentiment overseas is driving U.S. citizens to register to vote, and both Democrats and Republicans could benefit. On the GOP side, a backlash against the anti-Bush fervor has attracted Republicans, while dismay over Bush's stewardship is getting Democrats who haven't voted for more than 30 years.

Republicans, who claim to dominate the overseas vote by a 3-to-1 margin, are mobilizing to ensure him a second term.

``It's difficult to be an American abroad now with the hatred around the world for the U.S. government and President Bush,'' said Stephen O'Connor, who runs Republicans Abroad in Hungary, where an estimated 20,000 Americans live. ``You need thick skin to be an American.''

``What we're seeing, all of us, is this malaise, this feeling of anti-Americanism,'' said Nancy Galan, chairwoman of Republicans Abroad in Italy, home to an estimated 60,000 Americans of voting age.

Eileen Wilkinson, of the Rome chapter of Democrats Abroad Italy, said people have signed up ``who haven't voted since Nixon in 1960 or McGovern in 1972.''

In Hong Kong, Republicans Abroad is getting daily inquiries from the 50,000-strong U.S. expatriate community, vice chairman Mark Simon said. Bush's narrow victory over Al Gore in 2000 has driven home the message that every vote matters, he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-US-Voters-Abroad.html

I can't imagine any American living abroad would want to see another 4 years of Bush, considering how badly he and his administration have trashed our country's rep in the eyes of the world. It's gotta be a little uncomfortable living as an outsider among people who rightfully believe your president is a buffoon.

That is more than live in this state. Is that service also? Are you sure it is that high?

I heard that there were 25,000 Americans living in the greater Tokyo metropolitan area. There were definitely enough English-speaking foreigners to support four daily English-language newspapers and a couple of magazines.

Each time I go back to Tokyo, there seem to be more Caucasians on the street, and I'm sure that the majority are Americans and Australians.