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Tip

Introduction Email #1 to Local Study Abroad Program


Dear {name},

This November, your study abroad students from the United States will have a unique opportunity: voting in the 2018 US Midterm Elections, while living abroad. For many, it will be their first time voting and we want to help them feel comfortable and confident registering to vote and submitting their ballot.

VotefromAbroad.org offers non-partisan voter registration and ballot request, so you can easily provide your students the unique experience of voting abroad in this year’s elections. The midterms are November 6th and ballots are sent out about 40 days before the election, so fall orientation is the prime time for students to register to vote.

How it works:

  • We provide posters (ready to print), sample emails, and sample Facebook posts to help you communicate the action to your students.

  • We are a resource for you and your students. We can answer questions and provide information related to voting in the midterms from abroad.

  • We work with you to organize an a time to meet with students. We bring all the necessary materials. Non-partisan volunteers will help with questions students have about the process of registering and voting from abroad.

One of the great advantages of Study Abroad is that students develop a new appreciation of American democracy, and why their right to vote is fundamental to that enterprise. We want to make sure their right to vote is not lost in the exciting and overwhelming transition to life abroad.

Please let me know if this sounds interesting to you. Again, we want to be very clear that as this is voter registration it must be non-partisan.

Thanks a lot for considering working with us. Any questions, please let me know!


Tip

Introduction Email #2 to Local Study Abroad Program


Dear [contact].

This November, the US students at [Institution] will have a unique opportunity: voting from abroad in the 2018 US midterm elections.  For some, it will be their first time voting, and even if they are registered, they probably won’t be familiar with the process of voting from abroad.

I manage a list of trained volunteers, and we’ve been running nonpartisan voter registration drives for US students in the UK for several election cycles.  We’ve recently held drives for the study abroad programs for Boston University, Fordham, NYU and FSU, among others, as well as at UK universities with large numbers of US students.   Right now we’re planning our autumn calendar. The general election is November 6th and ballots are sent out about 40 days in advance, so the early autumn is the prime time for students to register and request their absentee ballots.

How we can help:

—We can provide posters (ready to print), sample emails and social media posts to help you communicate about voting from abroad with your students.

—We work with you to organise a time to meet with your students, whether it’s in the study centre, at an orientation centre or student fair, or in a residence hall. We bring all the necessary materials so students can register and request ballots on the spot, either online or using the paper form of the Federal Post Card Application (FPCA), accepted by all fifty states as both a registration and a ballot request.

One of the great advantages of study abroad is that students develop a new perspective on American democracy, and why the right to vote is fundamental to that enterprise.  We want to make sure students’ right to vote is not lost in the exciting and overwhelming transition to life in another country.

Let us know how we can help.


Tip

Follow-up Email (after a phone call) to Local Study Abroad Program


Dear {name},

I wanted to follow up on our call the other day to explain more about our get out the vote outreach to study abroad programs.

Working through VotefromAbroad.org, we offer non-partisan voter help – directly in your program – so you can provide your students the unique experience of voting abroad in this year’s elections.

How it works:  

  • We provide posters (ready to print), sample emails and sample facebook posts to help you communicate the action to your students.
  • We work with you to find a good location and time (or times) to meet with your students and help them request their ballots.
    • Best location – a meeting point where students get together between classes
    • Best time  – times when the maximum number of students will be available to participate
  • We then send non-partisan volunteers to your location, ready to help students with any questions they have about the ballot request process, and what they need to do once they receive their ballot.

On the date of the event, our volunteers will arrive 30 minutes early to get set up. They will bring a pop up vote from abroad banner, envelopes, and snacks (if agreed on) to help attract students.

Please let me know if this action sounds interesting to you. Again, we want to be very clear that as this is a voter registration event it must be non-partisan.

Thanks a lot for considering working with us. Any questions, please let me know!


Tip

Example Introduction Email to Local Study Abroad Program in German


Sehr geehrte(r)


mein Name ist xxx xxxx und ich bin US-amerikanischer Staatsbürger, der in Deutschland lebt. Ich engagiere mich freiwillig bei der internationalen Organisation Vote from Abroad.

Vote from Abroad ist eine überparteiliche Organisation, die allen Amerikanern im Ausland dabei hilft, sich zu registrieren und ihre Briefwahl zu beantragen, da dies für Auslandsamerikaner etwas komplexer sein kann.

Viele amerikanische Studierende, die sich in Deutschland aufhalten, wissen gar nicht, dass sie wählen dürfen. Wir haben durch unsere unparteiischen Informationsangebote schon viele Mitbürger beim Wählen unterstützen können und haben großes Interesse daran, dies auch für amerikanische Studierende an Ihrer Hochschule anzubieten.

Momentan befinden wir uns in der Vorbereitungsphase und suchen für unser Service den richtigen Ansprechpartner an Ihrer Hochschule.

Falls ich bei Ihnen an der falschen Stelle bin, würde ich um eine Weiterleitung dieser Nachricht an die zuständige Kollegin/den zuständigen Kollegen bitten.

Bei Rückfragen stehe ich Ihnen jederzeit gerne zur Verfügung. Ich danke schon jetzt für Ihre Unterstützung!

Mit freundlichen Grüßen,

Xxx xxxx

Vote from Abroad Student Outreach Team