By Barbara Steenstrup — An Inspiration. A combined US Embassy Town Hall and a Vote from Abroad (votefromabroad.org) assistance event showed great enthusiasm for voting in the 2026 US mid-term election. Sixty-one (61) people came to the Galeria Slow Food restaurant in Heredia.
At least 40 people received help with ballots. It was a huge success and very uplifting. The voting assistance was non-partisan. Everyone who wanted help received it.
The Atmosphere. Just being there was exciting. There were lively conversations. In the section for the Town Hall, the US Consular Official Allie Davis informed US citizens of their rights, how to renew a passport, register a birth, report a crime, report a US citizen in need of help, and where non-US citizens should look online if applying for visitor visas.
There was practical help filling out forms for passport renewals and other documents. There were answers to general questions and private sessions for individual questions. People also chatted with each other. They made new friends or rekindled old relationships.
Voting Assistance. At long rows of tables were volunteer voting assistants with computers, printers, paper forms, information about the requirements of individual states and general encouragement.
There were long lines of people waiting for help, registering to vote, actually completing their ballots that would be sent back by the US Embassy, faxed, or submitted electronically depending on the requirements of each state.
More than a few people said that they had never voted in a U.S. election all the years that they had lived in Costa Rica, BUT that it was important to vote in this election. In this section too, people got to know each other and to exchange information and contacts.
Entertainment. The event was topped off with a tasty lunch and music by Ross Tatum and singers Laureta and Robin. It was a real party atmosphere with a lot of important achievements as well.
The U.S. Embassy San José and Vote from Abroad will be holding events in other towns over the next two weeks. The next one will be in Atenas on Tuesday, October 6, with a U.S. Embassy Town Hall plus U.S. passport renewal, notarial services & voter ballot assistance.
It will be at the Baruch Café from 10 am – 1 pm. If it is anything like the past events including San Ramon and Grecia, there is a lot of help and a lot of fun to be had.