According to this article from Germany’s Die Tageszeitung, the mood of American Democrats living in Berlin can be described as excitement mixed with cautious anticipation. And Republicans? At a recent election-related series of lectures at the Amerikahaus, a library/holdover from the days of the Marshall Plan, the only Republican present was a German …
By Jenny Marrenbach
Translated By Ulf Behncke
October 28, 2008
Germany – Die Tageszeitung – Original Article (German)
It’s the final effort before the presidential elections in the United States. Once again, Democrats Abroad , the Berlin branch of the Democratic Party of America, are unpacking their flyers. And once again, American Voices Abroad , an affiliate of the Democrats, has again set up an information stand for voter registration. On the sidelines of a series of lectures and events entitled How Will America Vote at the Amerikahaus near Zoologischer Garten station, the group made their presence felt one last time before the presidential elections on the 4th.
According to the [German] Federal Statistical Office, approximately 100,000 Americans are registered in Germany, about 12,500 of them in Berlin. But according to estimates by Michael Stelzer, chairman of demsinberlin, chances are that an additional 8,000 or so voters may have to be added. Because there are many Americans who hold dual citizenship or are in the country on a student visa that aren’t accounted for by German statistics.
That doesn’t mean that the estimated 20,000 Americans in Berlin can simply choose between Barack Obama and John McCain. Each and every one of them must first have registered with the state election office in the state they last resided in. That would also be the state in which their votes will be counted. “In swing states such as Florida, these votes from abroad could be critical” says Stelzer. Swing states are those in which the election results are on the edge of a precipice.
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