Americans living abroad were not permitted to vote in U.S. elections before the 1980s, yet millions of Americans are living overseas these days - an estimated 50,000 in Paris alone - and the numbers are growing. Democrats Abroad France is one of 75 active committees around the world connecting Americans with US politics. This non-profit organisation elects eight members to serve on the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and sends 22 people, with nine votes, to the Democratic National Convention every four years. They are considered to be the 51st state. On both grass-roots and global levels, the events they help organise range from debates, lectures and movie nights to dinners and fundraisers. But most importantly, they motivate and assist overseas Americans to vote.

Paris:

ORIGINALLY from Boston, Connie Borde is the "country" chairwoman of DAF, situated aptly in Paris where there are seldom less than 30 to 40 people attending every meeting or event. This former teacher, author and mother of six, has been involved with the group since its beginnings when she was reputed for her highly successful fund-
raising events.

"We need only 15 seats to take back the congress", said Borde. "That is the objective - to identify where and how Democrat candidates can win those seats in the house and senate."

Her DAF's Take Back the Congress dinner last month brought in thousands of dollars in contributions for candidates in 16 key races and got a Time magazine write up. "We are not a big fund raising organisation," said Borde. "Our main objective is to inform people and get them to vote.

“We presently have about 2,500 active members in France, but we register many more people than that to vote." As the political scene in America heats up, DAF is expanding, possibly starting a fifth chapter in the Aix-en-Provence region. “This is a crucial election. We have lost political power in the areas that allow people to understand the world better: women's issues, environment and education. These are the issues that unite us. When you consider we have a Congress that is sanctioning the torture resolution, it's really quite frightening."

Alpes-Maritimes and the Var:

"I ATTENDED my first DAF meeting as the entertainment," recalled Samantha Timmerman, chairwoman of the southern France chapter, the organisation's most recent addition. “I was one of the musicians playing at a DAF restaurant event in Monaco during the 2000 election. I'd have never anticipated being chair six years later," she confesses, "but I think that it's so essential that people get involved."

Having worked making commercials and film documentaries for 13 years, Timmerman believes that the Democrats have not combated the Republican's "media propaganda machine" effectively enough. "Misinformation is rampart and the truth is difficult to find. Democratic candidates have to define their priorities, and communicate them with quick relational words: 'clean water & education’."

Raised in what she describes as a "conservative New England family", Samantha regrets the ever deepening divide between liberals and conservatives. “People need to inform themselves then vote with their conscience, not their party. In Europe we get a more objective view. If Americans allow the re-interpretation of the constitution, voting manipulation, and laws that are challenging our most basic rights, then we must re-evaluate who we are as a nation.”

Strasbourg:

SUSAN Vaillant, a Washington DC native, was practically bred for politics. “My father was chief congressional correspondent for Newsweek for 30 years and my mother was a journalist,” said Vaillant, a former information manager and now a data privacy operator. Set up in early 2004 in anticipation of last presidential election, the Strasbourg chapter is considered unique. Its members share a home with the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, and the European Court of Human Rights. “We see the EU as a full partner in world affairs,” said Vaillant. “Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium are all close by.

“Did you know Belgians have to pay a fine if they don't vote? They take their right to vote seriously.” Stressing the importance of the mid-term congressional elections, she compared Presidential elections to beauty contests and even dared to use the "F" word: “Living in a region that changed hands five times between 1870 and 1945, Americans here have an acute awareness of what fascism is and how it works. The legislative branch should wield as much or even more power than the president. The corroding of the legislative branch is our group's most serious concern. We understand that once a right is taken away, it's very hard to get back.” Despite all, she believes the Democrats can gain control of the congress. “If our right to vote is respected, meaning that all the votes are counted accurately this time, then Americans can rise to the occasion. After all, we overcame McCarthyism and Vietnam.”

Southwest France:

DESPITE growing up in the staunch Republican northern suburbs of Chicago, Meredith Wheeler founded and chairs the SW Chapter of Democrats Abroad France, based around Toulouse - where the high tech industries and a relaxed lifestyle attracts many nationalities, including Americans and Brits. She was also among the founders of American Voices Abroad, a European coalition of American activists who opposed to the war on Iraq before it was launched. How did she get started? “I organised one of those demonstrations where everyone strips naked and lies in a group spelling out, in this case, Paix - literally making peace on earth,” she said. “It was a freezing cold day in February 2003," she recalls, "and the newspaper photographer was 45 minutes late. At age 51, I wasn't looking forward to taking off my kit but this seemed the best way to show the French that many Americans in France opposed this war. My British husband (actor Robin Ellis of Poldark fame) participated too, along with local volunteers from France, Italy, Denmark and Holland. Mercifully, the picture resolution was very fuzzy!"

Just back from political meetings in Italy where she addressed the Italian Stop the War committee, Meredith found it sobering that a recent international poll revealed that the United States is considered the most dangerous nation in the world today but the former ABC news journalist is not discouraged or deterred.

She is focused on helping Americans register to vote and concerned about the political burn-out and apathy - "the mid-term blahs" - although this November's American elections are heating up. To counter the ennui, her DA chapter runs "Café Américain political salons" named after Humphrey Bogart's gin-joint in the classic film, Casablanca. “It seemed appropriate,” she said, “political intrigue, war, foreigners abroad, idealism curdled into cynicism - then transformed by truth, courage and humour.” With As Time Goes By playing in the background, 18 Americans and Britons gathered for an animated evening dissecting the American political scene over a dining table covered with newspapers in lieu of a table cloth. "Most Brits I meet are as horrified by the current U.S. Administration as we are", says Wheeler. "And we Americans can't understand what happened to Tony Blair either."

Not all soirees go so harmoniously. While giving a political talk at an English language bookstore, Meredith was amazed to find her speech being heckled by an Englishman. “It escalated into a shouting match in the audience until the heckler stormed off. The baffled French enjoyed it as street theatre demanding urgently - ‘could someone please translate?’ Another French woman whispered, 'I thought all Englishmen were known for their understatement!'

* The Connexion tried to make contact with "Republicans Abroad in France", but received no reply.