Back to news How UK students can swing the US presidential election By Emma Jacobs

Iowa citizens will gather today to vote in the first caucus of the 2016 presidential run. With the world watching and international media trying to decipher debates, it is unclear who will win the primaries and ultimately the presidency.

The Democratic race has witness a seismic shift in support from Clinton, who commentators were originally betting on, to socialist Sanders. Recent New Hampshire CNN/WMUR polls showed Sanders trouncing Clinton with 60 to 33 support.

While his success is not certain it has shaken up what many considered a definite nomination with the GOP race proving as dynamic. It's all up for grabs, so what will be the deciding factor?

One factor that could be influential is UK students. Brits with American citizenship have the right to an 'absentee vote'. This can be filed in the UK at Primary and General Election stages. So why are young Brits not aware and why do they not seem to care? The world supposedly catches a cold when America sneezes so who sits in the White House will directly affect the UK and international politics. Those filing absentee votes can do so via post or in person at polling stations in London, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and St Andrews during the week of the Global Primary.

One group on the administrative side is the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) who revealed that despite an astonishing 306,000 American citizens residing in the UK who are eligible to vote, only 11% were registered voters in the 2014 General Election and a mere 3.2% of those eligible voted. Overseas surveys found 18-29 year old voters tend to be female and have resided overseas for less than 5 years.

Dealing with the apathy issue in the UK is Eric Lee, head of Bernie Sanders UK team. He found a lack of necessary education as "most Americans we meet in the UK are not aware of the Global Primary, of the fact that they can have a say in who the next Democratic Presidential candidate will be”. To combat this they have laid on organisational meetings, have an active online presence and are using an upcoming film showing to get young people not just to vote but to 'feel the Bern'.

UK students have also been enlisted to rally the masses. Leeds student Alex Gilmore, alongside Beth Reid, has been acting as head of Students for the UK Sanders campaign. He found that "localising the campaign efforts and having his brother, Jerry Sanders, in the UK has been a big help".

Student Sarah Smith has always lived in the UK but has a vote in the US elections because her dad is from the US. She knew she could vote in the Presidential election but wasn't aware she could also vote in the all-important Primaries.

“But now I know I can, I will definitely be voting in both,” she said.

She wonders if her vote will count for anything as the candidate received party nomination is decided early in the process and California (the state where she has a vote) is one of the last to vote and therefore carries less sway.

The authorities don't make it easy or clear for overseas voters. Having learnt how to vote Smith describes the process as “long and boring” as issues over the DMV not receiving her application with her signature meant she has to do an online interview.

American students need to stand up to flex their electoral muscle. Or risk Trump taking a dump on the free world.