As an American living abroad, should I vote in an election that may not affect my daily life?
One day last spring, I was convinced to follow Corriere della Sera on Instagram. I had been complaining that I felt so detached from what was going on in Italy and around the world, and so I was given this suggestion. I hoped that magically I would be immersed in culture and society, and delusionally I was for a week or two.
I have never been a news person and in the form of a true “Gen Zer,” I had learned about global events through social media, so following an extra account on Instagram felt almost natural. But following Corriere della Sera only halfway satisfied my need to be caught up with the world, there was something I was internally struggling with concerning politics, news, and voting, and then I understood what it was.
I am an American, living in Milan with a presidential election on the horizon and it does not feel quite right to vote. Not only am I disconnected from Italian politics and news stories, but I am disconnected from American politics and news stories, I am separated from the citizens of the US. Maybe in the year and a half that I have been gone, society has changed, and cultural norms and ways of life are different. This disconnection is physical—I am across an ocean—and emotional. It is not as though I do not care about the critical issues being debated over in the US, but Italy has its priorities and my life in Milan is not surrounded by American concerns. They feel decidedly less immediate and important. It is almost as if soon after I left the US, although I am obviously still an American citizen, I am no longer culturally and socially American.
I am not amid the electoral campaigns and the conversations. If I am being honest, sometimes I really do not mind. American politics, as many know, can be intense and tiring. Being away from the noise and the biases is not something I can complain about and, in some ways, allows me to form my own opinions in peace. But do my opinions matter as much?
And here is where my struggle begins. I am honored to have the right to vote, but does my vote count as much as someone currently living in the country? It is possible I will not live in the US for the four-year term of the next president, so why am I voting on legislation and candidates that will not affect my life but will affect the lives of the current residing US citizens? How can I vote correctly if I am not seeing how America is changing first-hand? And if I am unable to understand what the country needs so that its citizens are thriving?
Voting is a way to contribute to your country and help its citizens, which is why part of me undeniably believes voting is something I should participate in every opportunity I get. There are also many methods for me to understand how I should vote. I could talk to my friends and family, read news articles, and look at statistics. But that feels hollow and
empty because no article or statistic will make up for the fact that I am not living the experience of an American resident.
As I said, it is an internal debate I have been having with myself, and unfortunately, I have no clear answer. Perhaps it’s a struggle many expatriates face, caught between being afar and having a sense of duty. It is a stark reminder that even when we leave, our connection to our homeland and its future can become a complex relationship. Maybe by November, I will be able to make peace with the decision to vote or not.
I’m Veronika. I grew up in the US but am half-Italian, half-Polish. I’m a first-year BIEM student and am interested in not only economics, but fashion, politics, books, and getting to know the community around me.
