Monday morning: Dug out $59 pesos to send a fax and piece of letter mail from Mexico City to the United States -- to 12400 Imperial Highway in Norwalk, Calif., to be specific. That's the address for the registrar and clerk for L.A. County, where I am last registered to vote (and where voting materials are available in 10 languages). I submitted a request for an absentee ballot for an exciting day, Nov. 4. This "special note" from Sen. Joe Biden gave me the necessary nudge:
Dear Daniel,
I've traveled around the world, and I've seen my share of presidential campaigns. But I have never seen one in which Americans living abroad have had a bigger impact. Barack and I know we have support from Americans all over the globe -- and we appreciate all that Democrats Abroad has been doing to grow this movement for change. But the time for you to make your voice heard is quickly passing.
Voter registration and vote by mail deadlines are approaching.
Some states close their rolls as early as today, October 5th. Find your state, get registered, and get your absentee ballot today: www.votefromabroad.org.
Eight disastrous years of George Bush policies have jeopardized our security, tarnished our international reputation, and sunk us into the most profound economic crisis we have seen since the Great Depression. Now, John McCain wants to continue down the same path.
Don't imagine for a second that your vote doesn't matter in this election.
Register today and request your absentee ballot, and make sure your voice is heard. Together, we can make history and bring about the change we need.
Thank you, Joe
Whatever you say, "Joe." I'm more than happy to cast a vote for president, even in a "blue state," for your colleague, the cool and calm Barack Obama. I did so in the Global Primary, which Obama handily won. Having always been officially and proudly registered "decline to state" or "Independent," once I moved to Mexico I signed up with Democrats Abroad in order to put up a hand of "Yes" for a direly needed tectonic shift in U.S. policies and political culture, which an Obama presidency is sure to bring. And I have no problem, as a journalist who watches such things, with saying so.
I mean, it seems pretty straightforward to me. Even this guy gets it: "My grandfather owned slaves, but I'm thinking of voting for a black man." And this guy. Now, expats, let's get this shit done.
* Previously, "Everyone is everything: On gaps in media and modern thinking." Photo via Andrew Sullivan.
