American expats in London rush to cast early ballots in US election
Thousands of American expats living in London have joined the early voting rush in this year’s US election.
The capital is the largest “American” city in the world outside of the US, with more than 100,000 Americans estimated to be living in or around the city.
Nearly 80 million voters haved already cast their ballots amid concerns about spreading the coronavirus on election day. Eligible voters in the UK have been posting or emailing their ballots back to the US according to the rules of the last state they resided in.
Vote from Abroad, a Democrat-run website, aims to help deliver ballots around the world to the estimated three million Americans able to vote.
“It’s part of the fun and the challenge to keep up with them as they move all over the place, we get everywhere,” Inge Kjemtrup, chair of Democrats Abroad UK said.
In London campaigners have placed themselves strategically in American ex-pat hotspots such as Maida Vale, Marylebone and St Johns Wood brandishing QR codes to lead Americans to their ballot.
Adrienne Johnson is another London-based US expat who has already voted
Sharon Manitta, who volunteers trying to register Americans to vote , said she has been using “guerilla tactics” to get people their ballot in time to make a difference.
She said: “Sometimes we just slip a card into someone’s shopping basket if we hear them speaking in an American accent. We get the odd Canadian by mistake.
“But this year people are coming to us. Trump has been a great recruiter. There is an enormous amount of enthusiasm and concern about our country.”
Political commentator and former TalkSport DJ Charlie Wolf, 61, has lived in north London for 20 years, and will be voting for Donald Trump by post to his native Massachusetts.
“If you look at his record Trump hasn’t done too bad considering he has no experience in the political game.
“He has business experience and he’s not scared to shake things up. If he gets a second term I think he will take on the constitution.
“We can’t have people rioting, tearing down statues and looting stores. The economy has to get moving.”
As the glitzy election night American embassy party and Democrats Abroad events held in Marylebone Sports Bar and Grill has been cancelled this year voters face nerve-wrenching nights in as the results file in.
Adrienne Johnson voted for Joe Biden by post to her native Maryland.
The head of the black caucus of Democrats Abroad UK said: “I’m going to be up all night, still phoning people getting them to vote because different states have different deadlines.
“There will be lots of different Zoom calls to my friends and family all over the world and we will be watching each other biting our nails.
“I just hope the numbers are so strong that the winner is overwhelmingly clear.”
