Twenty-one years ago, I founded Overseas Vote because I believed something deeply and instinctively American: that citizenship does not stop at the water’s edge.
Yet today, I find myself genuinely shocked. Not by disagreement—that is the lifeblood of democracy—but by how little imagination some of our elected officials seem to have when it comes to Americans living outside the United States. Instead of gaining broader understanding in an increasingly interconnected world, many appear to be racing in the opposite direction, defining “American” as narrowly as possible, and excluding millions of their own fellow citizens in the process.
There is a persistent misconception that Americans who live abroad somehow leave America behind. Some may, but most of us do not. We bring America with us. You do not dispose of our citizenship by crossing a border. Your values, your civic identity, your sense of responsibility to your democracy travel with you. Citizenship travels with us. We are Americans wherever we go.
Life abroad is often misunderstood. For Americans who live outside the United States, it is not a permanent vacation but a full, rooted daily existence—working, raising families, finding housing, and navigating local systems, often in another language and culture. It is life, with all its responsibilities, lived in a different place. Our responsibilities include our American civic duty to vote, which we bring with us wherever we go in the world.
For decades, Americans abroad have been welcomed around the world as exactly who we are. We do not assume other identities; we represent our country simply by living our lives. In doing so, we form a quiet, global network of American presence—visible, engaged, and connected. This worldwide community is not a liability to the United States. It is an extraordinary asset.
And it costs the United States nothing.
Americans abroad pay for their own lives. We use the infrastructure, healthcare systems, and public services of the countries where we reside. Yet we remain culturally, politically, and emotionally tied to the United States. If the military represents our nation’s hard power, then citizens abroad are an essential form of soft power—embedded, informed, and engaged in every region of the world.
Somehow, this reality is missed or misunderstood back home.
What concerns me most is that this lack of imagination is now translating into concrete threats to a fundamental right: the right to vote. That right is clearly established for overseas citizens under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA). And yet we are seeing members of Congress and state legislators begin to chip away at it—proposing restrictions that fragment our community, undermine its cohesion, and base voting rights on arbitrary criteria that have nothing to do with existing law.
After more than 20 years of leading a U.S. nonprofit dedicated to helping Americans vote—both civilians abroad and members of the military—I can say this without hesitation: Americans living overseas are as American as Americans can be. Judging from afar, without understanding, is easy. Governing with empathy and perspective is harder—but necessary.
I understand the importance of safeguarding elections. Non-citizens do not have the right to vote, and that principle is not in question. But citizens do. Why, suddenly, is it acceptable to take that right away simply because a citizen is not physically standing on U.S. soil—whether temporarily or permanently?
Legislative efforts such as the SAVE Act, the PROVE Act, and recent state-level initiatives in places like Arizona and West Virginia reflect a deeply short-sighted view of citizenship. They weaken, rather than strengthen, our democracy.
We need to do better. We need to broaden our perspective and recognize the value of our own people—Americans positioned around the world, engaged with their country, and committed to participating in its democratic life. Voting is not a privilege granted by proximity; it is a right rooted in citizenship.
I implore my fellow citizens to look up, look outward, and see their friends, neighbors, and family members across the globe. We are still here. We still care. And we are still American.
About the Author
Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat is Co-founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Vote Foundation and its Overseas Vote initiative. She leads the organization’s strategic planning, innovation, and voter services programs, and has been a long-time advocate for expanding access to the ballot for U.S. citizens abroad and in the military. Susan conceived foundational research on secure voting technologies and has addressed national election officials and testified before Congress on overseas and military voting rights. Under her leadership, the foundation has become a recognized provider of voter services and election data tools.