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WORLDVOTE



WORLDVOTE Super Tuesday: February 5th at Wahlkreis, a bar at Reinhardstraße 37, Mitte.

Articles:

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

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.”

Press Release: German / English



For more information, email Rachel Brooker, or join our mailing list.



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