Primary Votes Anyone? Tapmag: magazine for culture, politics and life from a transatlantic perspective, Berlin, 02.02.08
Super Tuesday an der Spree Berliner Zeitung, Berlin, 05.02.08
Anspannung vor dem "Super Tuesday" Tagesspeigel, Berlin, 05.02.08
WORLDVOTE kicked off with a public forum in Berlin
on
February 5th, 2008 (Super Tuesday) in which the gathered group decided
how to cast a collective vote in the Democratic presidential primary.
Rachel Brooker and five other expatriates from the United States
pledged their votes to the group. Of those attending, all of the non-US
citizens were invited to participate in deciding how the six US votes
would be cast. The result was split almost exactly between Hillary
Clinton and Barack Obama, and the six votes were cast accordingly:
three to each of the leading Democratic candidates.
Why?
• Make a single vote count for more by using it to spark debate
• Even the score by giving non-US citizens, who are profoundly
influenced by US policy decisions, a voice in the electoral process
• Give the international public a feel for the subjective
experience of voting in the US, and the scope, and limits, of what we
can achieve with our votes
• Provide a public example of US citizens working toward
international mutuality, counter to the widespread international
impression of our politics and culture
At the event, expats gave background information on the three
Democratic candidates still in the race, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama
and Mike Gravel. Each of the expats sharing their votes had an
opportunity to tell the assembled group how they would vote on their
own. The gathered group debated the merits of each candidate for a
lively hour and a half before taking a vote. Only the non US-citizens
present were allowed to vote, and the result was: 6 for Obama, 5 for
Clinton, 0 for Gravel.
And of course, this was a warm-up for the big event this fall, when the
citizens of Berlin gather to choose a new President of the United
States.
Rachel Brooker, the event organizer, has lived in Berlin since January
2006. She is a dancer/choreographer producing choreography with her
company Anima Dance in Berlin and worldwide.
She’s currently working on a project about being a US
citizen: “Oh Beautiful: My Patriot Act” will
premiere this year in Berlin. About WORLDVOTE, she says: “I
care very much about my country and have struggled over the past years
to find a way to express my desire for change. WORLDVOTE is the
culmination of that process.”
For more information, email Rachel Brooker, or join our mailing list.
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