PARIS, Bob Vallier, a Paris resident who has primarily resided outside the United States for the past three decades, has already cast his vote in his home state of Michigan for the upcoming election on November 5.
“I understand that whatever transpires in America has repercussions for the rest of the world. My experiences living abroad have made this clear to me,” said Vallier, who serves as the LGBTQ+ caucus chair for Democrats Abroad.
Vallier’s ballot, along with those of other Americans overseas, could prove pivotal in the closely contested races in battleground states like Michigan. Current polls indicate that Democratic candidate Kamala Harris holds a narrow advantage over her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, in one of the election’s most competitive states.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) estimates that 1.6 million U.S. voters residing abroad are eligible to participate in one of seven battleground states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—that are likely to influence the election’s outcome.
This demographic is believed to lean Democratic; according to data from Vote From Abroad, a nonpartisan voter assistance initiative affiliated with the DNC, approximately three-quarters of overseas voters in the 2020 election identified as Democrats.
For the first time in a presidential election, the DNC has allocated approximately $300,000 to Democrats Abroad to enhance efforts to register Americans living overseas and bolster mail-in voting initiatives. The committee has also launched social media advertisements urging expatriates to submit their ballots.
“This election will be decided by narrow margins, and every single vote matters,” stated DNC spokesperson Maddy Mundy. “We are committed to winning this election by engaging every eligible voter, regardless of their location.”
TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN TARGETS TAX RELIEF
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is also courting American expatriates. Earlier this month, he announced plans to eliminate the double taxation imposed on Americans living abroad.
While the details of this policy remain vague, it could potentially abolish the burdensome requirement that mandates U.S. citizens file income taxes in the United States regardless of their residence.
Although Americans living overseas are exempt from U.S. taxes on the first $126,500 of earned income and may qualify for certain foreign tax credits, the associated bureaucratic challenges can be cumbersome, unlike the experience of expatriates from many other countries.
Republican candidate Donald Trump is also vying for the support of expatriate Americans. Earlier this month, he pledged to eliminate the double taxation system that burdens U.S. citizens living abroad.
Although details of the plan remain unclear, such a move could relieve expatriates of the current obligation to file U.S. income taxes regardless of their residency. While Americans abroad are exempt from U.S. taxes on their first $126,500 of earned income and can claim foreign tax credits, the process remains a bureaucratic challenge that citizens of many
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