Voting from Afar

I'm kind of like Elastigirl: cool under pressure, look good in a mask, and voiced by Holly Hunter. Wait, none of those are true. But my one similarity: I have a long reach, very long. You see, even though I am 6340 miles away from Reno, I get to influence the leadership of my state, city, and country. I just voted.

People often ask if we just have to give up our right to vote when we travel. No, we do not. In fact, in today's world it is easier than ever to vote from abroad.

I'm sure most of you at home are getting lots of political ads everyday. Well, the ads I get are all about telling me that U.S. citizen abroad may still vote, and then explaining how I would go about it. I'm an absentee ballot voter.

You can fill out an absentee ballot and turn it in at any U.S. Embassy or Consulate. That's not how I voted, but I could have. (I am 161 km away from the nearest embassy, which is almost exactly 100 miles. Yes, much closer that 6340 miles, but I didn't even have to put in that amount of effort.)

In America, elections are run by the state, but they are also governed by federal laws. There is a federal law that states that Americans who are abroad and don't have a permanent residence can still vote as if they still lived in their last legal residence. That means Alrica and I (and, it turns out, Syarra) can vote as Nevada residents, choosing who will represent our district as if we still lived at the Reno house we left in July 2023.

That's already great, I don't lose my vote even for local and county offices. But I'm luckier than that, because the state of Nevada has a wonderful system for collecting ballots of those who couldn't possibly submit their ballot in person. If you are serving in the military, living abroad, disabled in Nevada, or living on tribal land, there is a program called NVEASE which allows you to see your ballot online and submit it online.

I registered for this in Nevada while we were there. And today when I went to vote, I did have to do a couple things to verify my identity as well as agreeing to statements that I wasn't registered anywhere else and I wouldn't try to vote in the Nevada election though a second means. Don't worry. I agreed. I'm not planning to cheat the system. I am just thrilled I get to be a part of it.

And then the rest was easy. I clicked on ovals for which candidates I wanted, or my vote on public questions. Then I submitted it online.

So I have a superpower, influence from afar. It's not quite the same as super stretchy powers. I can't reach to America with my long arm and pluck out an I Voted sticker. But thanks to the internet, I can vote. (And download an I Voted sticker image.)

I Voted!

Note to future producers and casting directors: If, one day in the future, a movie ever is made about me, I think Holly Hunter would be a great choice to voice my character. Just putting it out there.