The election brings a different set of feelings for Americans living overseas
Courtesy PhotoKristin Jatkowski, who has been living and working in the Dominican Republic, details what it has been like to be an American living abroad during the 2008 presidential elections.

Last Tuesday marked a historic event in the United States. The election of Barack Obama was certainly seen by many as a sign of hope in the United States, a country currently dealing with a broad range of political issues: war, economic crisis and health care reform, to name a few.

However, the recent election was not only seen as a transformative event in the United States, but also throughout the world. As an American living and working abroad, I was able to gain some worldwide perspective on the events of last Tuesday.

The election felt very different for me this year than the first national election I voted in four years ago. I’ve felt very disconnected from the democratic process because voting absentee doesn’t give you the same feeling that stepping into a voting booth does. I also haven’t been able to experience the reactions of other Americans. I can read the same newspapers and watch CNN, but I feel like I’ve lost out on seeing how average Americans are reacting to history.

This is certainly not to say that I am immune to American politics simply because I am abroad. I have been surprised by the Dominican interest in American politics. The Dominican perspective on American politics has come from a variety of sources: Dominican and foreign teachers at school, my students and what I can pick up from the local news.

Dominicans aren’t shy about asking you who you support politically. This has been a somewhat difficult transition for me. I enjoy discussing politics and consider it a necessity in the democratic process, but I will rarely share my direct political views with people I don’t know well. Trying to dodge the question of who you support doesn’t work. Dominicans will press until they have gotten you to disclose who you support, and they’d rather have you say the candidate’s name directly, rather than answering the question indirectly.

Many Dominicans feel comfortable discussing American politics because electing a president in the Dominican Republic is similar to the United States. The Dominican Republic is a representative democracy, and a new president is elected every four years. Prior to this year’s May election, the president was limited to serving two terms. However, incumbent Leonel Fernández was elected to his third term earlier this year after revising the constitution in order to allow him to do so.

Before and after the election, it seems safe to say that Barack Obama has the overwhelming support of Dominicans in the country. Dominican teachers have told me directly that they support Obama; the overwhelming opinion of my sixth graders (and, I’m guessing, of their parents) is in support of Obama. Immediately after the election, Barack Obama’s face was plastered all over local newspapers.

Dominicans are also a somewhat transient people. Many Dominicans, U.S. citizens or not, spend a great deal of time in the United States. It’s said that New York City has the second largest population of Dominicans other than the capital, Santo Domingo. Because many Dominicans have a semi-immigrant status, it makes sense that a Democratic candidate who tends to favor more liberal immigration policies would have their support.

The current economic crisis in the United States has affected the world, and this island in the Caribbean has certainly not been spared. Dominicans who have investments in the United States have become concerned about how the crisis will affect them. I think Dominicans felt confident in Barack Obama’s ability to resolve the economic crisis.

I think the election of Barack Obama was seen as a sign of hope not only for the United States, but throughout the world. Dominicans are actually very connected with the United States. It is not uncommon for wealthier Dominicans (such as my students and their parents) to hold U.S. citizenship. Because these Dominicans have the opportunity to participate in the presidential election in the United States, they feel a connection to Barack Obama, despite their geographic location.

Experiencing an American election abroad has been an eye-opening experience, and has broadened my understanding of the connectedness of our global community.