On yesterday’s Morning Joe, a former ambassador to Canada outlined Biden’s campaign to reach voters living abroad. Briefly:
- There are approx. 6.5 million voters abroad
- Only a small percentage voted in 2016
- Biden has mounted a major GOTV effort aimed at these voters
The ambassador, who is leading this Biden outreach, said there are 9 million US citizens living abroad which would equate to the 11th largest state. Of those, 6.5 million are eligible voters. In 2016, only 5.3% voted! If I heard the ambassador correctly, there are hundreds of former ambassadors and thousands of volunteers involved with this activity for Biden. It’s the first time I’ve heard of this outreach, and the prospect of tapping into millions of votes sounds like a worthwhile endeavor. All good.
As I was listening to all this, a question came to mind that I’m sure some members of the DKos community can answer. We elect a president via the electoral college, not the popular vote. The last time I looked, Canada, for example, doesn’t have electoral votes. The ambassador made the point that a citizen doesn’t need to have a US residence in order to vote.
So, the question is: into what state is such a vote rendered? How is that determined?
I can think of an example I’m sure has happened hundred if not thousands of times. A child is born to a member of the US armed forces stationed overseas, say Korea. The family moves every two to three years as is the norm when in the officer corps. The child becomes an adult while the family is stationed in Germany. This person has never, as an adult, had a legal US residence. Which state gets this citizen’s vote?
Thanks.