Orlando Vidal Regional Vice Chair for the Americas – Hope Bradberry (interim) Regional Vice Chair for Asia/Pacific – Nicholas Gordon Regional Vice Chair for Europe, Middle East and Africa – Jennifer Rakow-Stepper Democrats Abroad is represented on the Democratic National Committee by eight members. The International Chair and Vice Chair are ex-officio members of the DNC. Democrats Abroad has caucuses representing interest groups such as the Global AAPI Caucus, the Global Black Caucus, the Global Disabilities Caucus, the Global Hispanic Caucus, the Global LGBT+ Caucus, the Global Progressive Caucus, the Global Veterans and Military Families Caucus, the Global Women's Caucus, and the Global Youth Caucus. History Democrats Abroad was started with two small committees in London and Paris after Lyndon B. Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater in the 1964 U.S. presidential election. Its original leaders, Toby Hyde and Al Davidson, raised funds and formed committees, and pushed for state-level recognition of Democrats Abroad. DNC Chairman John Bailey allowed Democrats Abroad to send nine non-voting representatives to the Democratic National Convention in 1972; in 1976, the group was granted the status of a state committee, with voting delegates in the convention. Over the years, Democrats Abroad has worked for securing the full citizenship rights for Americans living abroad. It has lobbied for marriage equality, so that Americans in same-sex partnerships with citizens of other countries would not be denied the right to live together in the U.S. It supports reform of tax laws that unfairly burden Americans abroad. In particular, the group has long worked for voting rights for Americans at home and abroad, including supporting the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act in 1986, and the Federal Write-In Absentee Ballot. Democrats Abroad switched its method of determining convention delegates from a primary to an open caucus in 1992. In 2008, Democrats Abroad switched back to a primary process. Former President Jimmy Carter is the current and first ever honorary chair of Democrats Abroad. Primaries Democrats Abroad sends a delegation to the Democratic National Convention every four years and has done so since 1976. See also Republicans Abroad Republicans Overseas References External links Overseas Voter Registration website Democratic Party (United States) organizations Diaspora organizations of political parties American expatriate organizations Factions in the Democratic Party (United States) 1964 establishments in Washington, D.C. Political organizations established in 1964