Super Tuesday: Voting from London in the Democratic Global Primary

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.

Democrats Abroad, the official organization of the Democratic Party for its citizens living outside the US, is designated as a state within the party and has eight delegates assigned to represent us at the convention. The votes being cast by mail, online, and in person all over the world in the next week will decide for whom these delegates are voting. London is just one in-person voting center for Democrats Abroad. Far from being removed from the American political scene, we were right in the middle of it, in the middle of Bayswater, surrounded by fellow expats waving signs and sporting stickers. We grabbed some stickers for ourselves and got in line. It was so exciting to belong!

Eventually we got inside and got our ballots from the alphabetically organized tables, not unlike the voting centers in the US, only we had to show our passports. One Vote from Abroad volunteer told me they were expecting 2,000 people to show up and vote. I wouldn't be surprised if it was more. Afterwards, we went to a "Pancake Day" party, where our British friends were duly impressed with our carrying out of patriotic duty - and the fact that so many American Londoners had shown up to vote.

We walked upstairs to a huge hall where a "town hall" meeting was about to take place. The place was littered with red, white and blue decorations declaring "London for Obama" or "London for Hillary." Obama supporters in one corner were chanting "yes we can" while in another children decked out in Hillary gear passed out headbands. We added these to our ensemble, wearing them the rest of the night while people on the Underground gave us strange (or admiring) looks. In the middle, long tables were set up where you could register to vote absentee for the general election. Throughout it all, journalists swarmed, snapping pictures and writing down quotes. Then on the stage, huge boxes sat on tables, each boldly declaring the name of a candidate. There was also a box for Republican candidates and one for anonymous voting, the secret ballot that was and is so important to democracy. But with a headband already declaring my choice, what was the point? Besides, they said, putting your ballot into the labeled box made them easier to count.

Despite the headed debates there seemed to be not a bit of antagonism between the supporters of the two candidates within the halls. Everyone was wandering around, happily mingling and chatting. Overall, it had the atmosphere of a county fair.

I felt a not-so-small thrill when I proudly placed my ballot in the box. Hurray for democracy, and all of that, but I couldn't help thinking that what was happening here was more than just deciding between two good candidates for the presidency. After the disillusionment of 2004, I was finally restored with optimism by being surrounded with people who, like me, far away though we may be, cared about America and wanted to see a change for the better.

When we left, the "queue" to get in the building was even longer than before, down the block and around the building. "It's like the seventh Harry Potter book," I remarked. Now there is something we can all relate to!