Working with one voter at a time will be the method in Atenas (Baruch Café 10 – 11:30 am) on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, exactly four weeks (November 3) before the mid-term election in the United States.
It is the philosophy behind the extraordinary efforts of US citizen volunteers in Costa Rica, the U.S., and all over the world.
How to Eat an Elephant One Voter at a Time by Sarah Longwell is a personal memoir focused on defeating political extremism by listening to ordinary voters. I very much agree with that approach. When elected officials are stifled from doing their job, when everything ends up in a courtroom, when the economy and the world seem to be going the wrong way, it is time for each individual to step up. And right now, STEP UP means VOTE.
Yesterday, I had a call from a man named Alan. He explained that he was a volunteer calling people to encourage them to vote. He was ready with information about how I could vote, how to return my ballot, and who to get in touch with if I needed more help. He was upbeat. I assured him that I had voted and asked where he was calling from – Canada, about an hour outside of Toronto. This is exactly what is needed.
Get Out the Vote volunteers are doing the same thing here in Costa Rica. They are making calls day and night. Sometimes, a person hangs up on them, but mostly people are grateful for the call. In many cases, it is exactly what is needed to encourage a person to fill out the ballot that they received by email. Other times it reminds them to get in touch with their local election office where they need to register and request a ballot or to confirm that their ballot was received. Sometimes, they even need to know what or where their local election office is. Perhaps they need to get help from a nearby volunteer to assist with a printer or to help them decipher ever more complicated voting rules.
There are lots of heartwarming stories from local volunteers: “I just talked to a Montana voter who said he’d look for his ballot and vote, but it didn’t make much difference in Montana. I told him a strong showing in all states was important. He agreed on that.
One voter at a time makes a difference.” And another, “I once had a Connecticut voter chew me out for wasting my time calling her because her state was solid blue. I was then satisfied that a Connecticut Democratic candidate for the House won by just a few hundred votes.” And one more, “My brother lives in Italy and is from Washington DC. He thought he couldn’t vote, so I copied the text that came up for a DC voter and sent it to him. He’ll be voting!”
So, if you are on the fence about voting, get off the fence and vote!
Need help? Here is an overview of the entire process of voting in Costa Rica:
- Register and Request your Ballot
- Confirm and Receive your Ballot
- Vote and Return your Ballot
- Track your Ballot
Questions along the way? We’re here to help!
Contact help@votefromabroadcr.org at any time with your questions on any stage of the process. Or WhatsApp Steve Johnson on 7106 9505.