No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveAbsentee Voters Come Out in Droves

Absentee Voters Come Out in Droves

MATCHING trends in the UnitedStates, the 2004 presidential electionbrought U.S. voters out of the CostaRican woodwork to vote absentee.The U.S. Embassy in San José reportedmailing more absentee ballots than ithas in recent history.Political activists in Costa Ricaechoed the sentiment.“We always pull people out of thewoodwork during presidential elections,but this year more than ever,” saidRepublicans Abroad chairwoman FrancesGivens.Jo Stuart, president of DemocratsAbroad, said the organization registerednearly 800 new voters, many more thanin past years.Embassy officials said they mailedmore than 500 ballots, which are only afraction of those mailed from Costa Rica.Because voting is done by state, andthere is no federal system, no officialnumbers are available on how many U.S.citizens voted absentee from Costa Rica,explained Brian Simmons, vice-consulfor the U.S. Embassy.Simmons said citizens interested invoting showed up at the consul throughElection Day, many disappointed to learnthey were too late to vote. He also said hehelped register to vote various longtimeresidents of Costa Rica who had notvoted in decades.Newly inspired voters include WillieJones, who has lived outside the UnitedStates for 40 years and had never tried tovote with an absentee ballot until thisyear. Unfortunately, the resident ofAlajuela, northwest of San José, likeother U.S. citizens living in Costa Rica,did not receive his absentee ballot in timeto vote.Simmons said similar problems werereported to the consul. Voters who had registeredon time but did not receive theirballot were instructed to use the genericFederal Write-in Ballot. However, somevoters did receive their ballots afterwardand mailed those as well, he said.Officials in some states expresseduncertainty if these ballots would becounted once, twice or not at all,Simmons said.“I’d love to see the day we can allvote online,” he said.The race between President George W.Bush and Sen. John Kerry drew more votersthan any presidential election in thelast 36 years.About 120 million people, just under60% of eligible voters, cast ballots onTuesday.In 2000, about 105 million voters, orapproximately 54% of eligible votersturned out.

Trending Now

A Costa Rica Love Story: From Rustic Cabina to Separate Dreams

My Tica wife and I have been together for over a quarter century. When we met, I was living a simple life here. Three...

Costa Rica Joins U.S. Global Entry, Easing Travel for Tourists

Costa Rica took a big step forward, by officially joining the U.S. Global Entry program, a move set to make travel smoother for Costa...

Hondurans March to Mark 2009 Coup as Election Battle Heats Up

Thousands of government supporters marched Saturday in the capital of Honduras to commemorate the anniversary of the 2009 coup that ousted then-leftist President Manuel...

Costa Rica’s Rare Birds at Risk as Human Activity Threatens Extinction

Costa Rica’s bare-necked umbrellabird, a striking black bird with a red throat pouch and crest, is in trouble. A new study in Nature Ecology...

U.S. – Guatemala Security Pact Targets Crime and Helps Returning Migrants

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem signed a border security cooperation agreement with Guatemala on Thursday, which includes the use of drones and...

Costa Rica Pushes USA to the Brink but Falls in Penalty Heartbreak

If you just caught the end of the USA vs. Costa Rica Gold Cup quarterfinal, you probably feel like you need another cup of...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica