In an election year where most U.S. voters are already sure they will witness a Biden-Trump rematch, few voters residing abroad see the need to participate in primary elections. But in a time when democracy globally is under pressure, U.S. Democrats residing abroad will have the opportunity to participate in an in-person voting process with their fellow party supporters.
For many U.S. citizens abroad, the Global Presidential Primary (GPP), to be held March 5-12, is the only chance they will have to cast a ballot in-person during the 2024 elections. Voters living outside the U.S. generally vote remotely, sending their ballots back to the U.S. The one exception is the Global Presidential Primary.
In the overall process of selecting the party’s nominee for President, the Democratic Party treats Democrats Abroad GPP results as a separate US state. Democrats Abroad will send 21 delegates to the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in August 2024. The delegation includes 12 at-large delegates, 1 pledged PLEO (Party Leader and Elected Official) delegate, and 8 automatic delegates.
“The Global Presidential Primary ensures Americans abroad have the opportunity to easily participate in the Democratic primary process while also bringing our unique issues to the attention of Democratic presidential candidates,” explained Martha McDevitt-Pugh, International Chair of Democrats Abroad.
As the official Democratic Party arm for the millions of Americans living outside the United States, Democrats Abroad has announced the candidates that have successfully filed to appear on their presidential primary ballot. These candidates, in alphabetical order, are:
Joe Biden
Marianne Williamson
The deadline for candidates to complete all ballot access requirements was January 3, 2024. “In our 60th anniversary year, we invite U.S. Democrats around the world to participate in our Global Presidential Primary this March,” announced McDevitt-Pugh.
“In this critical election year, the Democrats Abroad Global Presidential Primary helps Americans abroad show our support for democracy” McDevitt-Pugh underlined.
Voter eligibility and voting sites
All U.S. citizens living outside the United States may participate in the primary, provided they are eligible to vote, are 18 or older by November 5, 2024, and are Democrats Abroad members.
International Chair McDevitt-Pugh stressed: “Democrats Abroad is representative of the millions of Democratic voters living abroad and voting in all 50 states and the District of Columbia; we welcome participation by the wide range of citizens living outside the U.S. who share the core values of the Democratic Party, and we are making every effort to engage more Americans living abroad than ever before.”
The Democrats Abroad Global Presidential Primary (GPP) runs from March 5 to March 12, 2024 at voting centers around the world to help select the next Democratic presidential candidate.
Global Presidential Primary in-person voting centers will be run in locations around the world, with postal and online voting options available as well. Democrats Abroad recommends that interested Americans join Democrats Abroad now to be ready to participate in the Global Presidential Primary.