By Eve Troeh Voice of America - Barack Obama garnered his 11th consecutive primary win this week, when Democrats Abroad announced from Geneva, Switzerland, that the Illinois senator had won the party's Global Primary. Obama got about 65 per cent of more than 20,000 votes submitted overseas. Democrats in more than 160 countries cast ballots by mail, fax, in person and - for the first time - online.
About six million U.S. citizens live outside the United States, including students, business people and members of the military. Some say the Global Primary is a step toward better voting rights for them. But others see the event as more symbolic than practical. Eve Troeh reports.
On Super Tuesday, when voters in 22 states went to the polls, more than 1,500 Americans gathered in London's Grand Central Library to vote in the Democratic Global Primary. They split into two caucuses: for Obama or for Clinton.
Democrats overseas had a choice this primary season: Vote, as usual, by paper absentee ballot from their home state. Or waive that right, and cast a vote by mail, online or in person in the Democrats Abroad Global Primary.
The group set up voting sites in more than 30 countries. The polls were open for one week, starting on February 5. Most were not typical polling stations - balloting was held in bars, private clubs, or coffee shops. In New Delhi, India, voters met at a restaurant called Ploof. They voted upstairs, and partied downstairs.
"There were 100 and something voters who brought their kids, their friends, their families. Because they wanted that sense of being together for a really important political moment," said Carolyn Sauvage-Mar, the chair of Democrats Abroad India. She says it was especially important for the fastest-growing democracy in the world to see that Americans take their right to vote seriously.
"There were many many first-time voters. A couple of 18 year-olds. There was a naturalized citizen from Ghana, and a naturalized citizen from the UK. There were of course many Indian-Americans. We had another younger person who actually flew to Delhi from Mumbai, a two hour flight, just to vote," he said.
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