Sanders won DA primary in Panama, world

BERNIE SANDERS won the Democrats Abroad (DA) Global Presidential Primary with 68.79 percent of the vote against Hillary Clinton’s 30.92 percent. In Panama the figures were 107 for Sanders and 43 for Clinton. According to official totals, Sanders won everywhere except in Singapore, Nigeria and the Dominican Republic.

It was a record turnout for a DA primary, both globally and in Panama.

By federal law, US citizens living abroad are eligible to vote in the states from which they came, or in the case of young Americans who have not lived in the USA, the state of their parents’ last residence. Democrats Abroad holds a primary in accordance with the rules of the Democratic Party, and will send a delegation to the Democratic convention as determined by the results of global primary. Of the 13 pledged delegates nine go to Sanders and four to Clinton. Also in the delegation there will be “super delegates” entitled to vote for any candidate.

US voters living abroad can also choose to vote in the primary of their home states instead of the DA primary. Hopefully there will be some votes cast on April 19 New York primary from Panama, given the historical relationship between the Afro-Panamanian community and Brooklyn.

While Democrats organized the DA primary, in November the voting is by absentee ballot in the several states. Thus, there is no country count on how Americans living abroad voted. To vote absentee from abroad, US federal law requires people to re-register each year. When a person only votes for federal offices — President the United States, US Senator and US Representative — by federal law it does not make that person a citizen of the state for tax purposes. However, voting for state or local offices or ballot proposals can be taken by a state as proof of state citizenship for tax purposes.

US citizens can register to vote from abroad via the Internet. There are three main websites that assist with this: Vote From Abroad, the Federal Voting Assistance Program and the Overseas Vote Foundation. As the November election approaches US citizens will have the opportunity to mail in their ballots via the US Embassy.