This Tuesday, the Democrats Abroad office in San Miguel de Allende closed its doors permanently after providing advice and facilities for more than a thousand American citizens to cast their vote from its facilities.
According to Hope Bradberry, a member of Democrats Abroad, nearly three thousand people who live in San Miguel de Allende were able to cast their vote. Since September 19, advice was provided to people from different states in the United States, since in each one the foreign vote is received differently.
Bradberry explained that in half of the states the ballot had to be printed and sent by mail, as in the cases of New York, Georgia and Texas; in others, such as California, Louisiana and Florida, the vote is sent by fax, and in others it can be sent by email or through a website.
“In San Miguel de Allende we think there are three thousand people who can vote in the United States. We help between one thousand and two thousand to vote. All states are different, and it is difficult to help because we need to know all the rules of the different states,” explained Bradberry.
Hope shared that this is a historic election, as the first female president of the United States could be elected, so women were the first to go out and vote.
“Many women in San Miguel, when they came and voted, cried. It is very emotional for them to vote, especially for women who are 80 or 90 years old. For them, it is very important to vote for a woman as president in the United States,” said Hope.
Uncertainty: Hope vs. Hate
North American citizens who live in San Miguel de Allende shared the uncertainty they feel in this election day regarding what will happen to the country and pointed out that the voting system is archaic and undemocratic.
“I am afraid for the future of the country and the world (…) this is the first election where it is hope against hate. I want hope for my family, my country and the world,” shared a student from the Spanish class at the Hispano-American Academy, originally from California.
“We have a system that is old; “It is possible for one person to win more votes but lose the election, and that is not democratic,” said Alex, also from California.
“There are many things we do not agree with; there are problems at the border and I do not know what will happen if Harris wins, because there are problems with her for us in the United States as well. Some people think that if we do not close the border, we will have many people from the cartel, so there is a mix of opinions in the United States,” said Deborah.
Source: periodicocorreo
