Super Tuesday: Voting from London in the Democratic Global Primary

Democracy in Action Overseas

February 5, 2008: Election fever seemed to have passed us by here in London, where without the media exposure, and with my absentee ballot in limbo somewhere between my old address and my new one, I watched the beginning of the primary season with the detachment of an outside observer.

But then last Friday I found out about the Democratic global primary. I was thrilled! I've long thought that they should have polling booths abroad where there are large concentrations of Americans (and it's hard to throw a stone in London without hitting at least three compatriots) and it's something I hope they adopt for the general election. Sure, absentee voting is all well and good, but nothing replaces the excitement of democracy in action, going in person to cast your vote.

Bravely I faced the Hammersmith and City line. The things I do for my country! I lingered by the ticket machines, waiting for my friend to show up on a later train, watching gaggles of Americans pass by. When she arrived we peered out the "way out," looking both ways and trying to decide which way to go to Porchester Hall. "It's just down the left on the corner," said a Transport for London employee, without a word spoken by us. It was obvious who we were and where we were going.

We arrived at the scene and I was immediately taken back to my college years in 2004, battling out the Democratic primaries in debates at UCLA. Banners and signs waved, bunting hung from this surface and that, people wearing buttons, hats, and t-shirts decorated with the name of their candidate passed out flyers while news film crews tried to capture it all. Back then we put all our energies into convincing people in states that had earlier primaries to vote for our chosen candidate. This time we were participating in the action.