Election campaigns are spending big to get out the expat vote
Election campaigns are spending big to get out the expat vote
The deluge of late-season political ads means that — as we’re all very well aware — Election Day is just around the corner.
But this year, these get-out-the-vote campaigns aren’t just targeting voters in the U.S. — Americans abroad have become a bigger focus.
For months, the social media feeds of U.S. citizens abroad have been inundated with messages from Julia Louis-Dreyfus of “Veep” and “Emily in Paris” star Lily Collins.
The messages are casual, but urging. Both actors encourage their fellow Americans to register to vote because they “could swing the outcome of this election,” and they “really, really, really need to have [their] voices heard with this critical, crucial election.”
To win overseas votes, Republicans say they’re relying on Donald Trump’s promise to end double taxation for expats, where they pay taxes both to the U.S. and the country they’re living in. Meanwhile, Democrats have spent about $300,000 on outreach to Americans abroad. It’s a group ripe for an ad blitz, according to American University professor Jan Leighley.
“Campaigns, to use their resources, they have to be strategic and deploy them where they’ll get the most bang for their buck,” she said.
In the past, expats just haven’t provided that bang — only 3.5% of voters abroad cast ballots in 2022. “The potential is there, but it’s — I suspect — rather costly,” Leighley explained.
Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, founder of the nonprofit Overseas Vote, takes a wider view, however: “If we had the budget to advertise at that level, we would. That’s what we want, ultimately, is for more people to vote,” she said.
But how that money is spent is not always transparent. Organizations abroad can take advantage of lax regulation to promote certain candidates. Take the Center for U.S. Voters Abroad, for example. It’s spent tens of thousands of dollars during this election cycle to oppose Donald Trump, even though it claims to be nonpartisan.
“It is not illegal; it doesn’t mean it’s the most transparent … but that is something we see with various groups,” said Anna Massoglia at OpenSecrets, which tracks political spending.
The Center for U.S. Voters Abroad said it is not affiliated with a political party or candidate and follows all donor disclosure laws, though funders choose to be anonymous. It added its filings reflect its ability as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit to express opinions about candidates.
“That allows them to draw money from anonymous, unknown donors without ever having to disclose that information while still spending to impact elections,” Massoglia continued.
The bottom line is campaigns are spending big on ads this season, and given the uncertainty this year, voters abroad are prime targets.
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