Notre Dame University-Louazé, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon

Club for International Relations (CIR)

US Elections 2008 / Absentee (Out of Country) Voting / Rate the Process

Dear American citizen living in Lebanon:

Following the US presidential elections this November 2008, Notre Dame University’s (www.ndu.edu.lb) student Club for International Relations (CIR), in association with Democrats Abroad Lebanon (DAL), and the Lebanese Emigration Research Center (LERC), has decided to study the satisfaction of Americans living in Lebanon with the entire Out of Country Voting (OCV) or absentee voting process.

We would greatly appreciate your help in filling out this questionnaire and returning it as quickly as possible to the head of this project, Dr. Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous ([email protected]), so that we may be able to get as accurate a view as possible of the current situation, as well as of the strengths and weaknesses of the OCV system in the US. Through this questionnaire, we will seek to find ways through which OCV can be improved, become more accessible to all Americans living abroad, and maximize participation, first and foremost stressing on the importance of the issues of accessibility and transparency.

Please note that the CIR and LERC have done their best to design this questionnaire in a non- partisan manner. The results will be presented to the general public and will be made freely available to all parties interested, e.g. online. The anonymity of all participants will be fully respected. The three questions marked "optional" should only be answered if you wish to be cited and possibly quoted.

Please consider that this questionnaire should only take about 20-30 minutes to be completed. Thank you for your cooperation.

This project is being carried out by the following three institutions:

Club for International Relations Jad Ghosn [email protected] CIR president [email protected]

Democrats Abroad Lebanon Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous [email protected] DAL vice-chair team@democratsabroad- lebanon.org

Lebanese Emigration Research Guita Hourani [email protected] Center LERC director [email protected]

Please submit this questionnaire ASAP by email to [email protected] Section 1

1.1. Name (optional) ______

1.2. Contact Information (optional):

Street Address:

Zip code:

Email Address:

Telephone Number:

1.3. Age Group:

18-20 41-50 71-80 21-30 51-60 Older than 80 31-40 61-70

1.4 How many years have you spent in Lebanon?

up to 5 years 16-20 years 31-35 years 6-10 years 21-25 years 36-40 years 11-15 years 26-30 years 41 or more years

1.5. Sex:

Male Female

1.6. There are many ethnic backgrounds that make up the rich diversity of the United States of America.

What is your ethnic background; please select one or more answers from the following:

Hispanic African-American European-American Arab-American East Asian-American Native American Other, please specify ______

1.7. There are many religious backgrounds that make up the rich diversity of the US. What is your religious denomination in any; please select an answer from the following:

Protestant Catholic Eastern Orthodox Jewish Muslim Other, please specify ______None

2 1.8. Please mention your political affiliations:

Republican Democrat Green independent Libertarian Other, please specify: ______

1.9. Do you currently have American citizenship?

Yes No

1.10. Were you born in the US?

Yes No

1.11. If no, were you born in Lebanon?

Yes No

1.12. If you answered yes to 1.10, in which state and voting district (county/township/parish) in the US were you born?

______

1.13. Was your father born in the US?

Yes No

1.14. Was your mother born in the US?

Yes No

1.15. If you have American citizenship, are you registered as a voter in your district of birth?

Yes No Not applicable

1.16. If you are registered as a voter, have you ever transferred your voter registration from your place of birth to another voting district?

1.17. If yes, to which voting districts(s) and state(s) did you transfer your voter registration? (multiple answers possible)

______

1.18. Are you currently residing in Lebanon?

Yes No

1.19. If yes, is Lebanon your primary country of residence?

Yes No

1.20. If you answered no, which country is your primary country of residence? (mention only one)

______

3 1.21. Do you have any citizenship other than your American citizenship?

1.22. If yes, do you have Lebanese citizenship?

Yes No

1.23. If you answered yes to 1.21, do you prefer using your US citizenship for official business?

Yes No

1.24. What is your marital status?

Married Single Widowed Separated Divorced

1.25. If you are/were married, is/was your spouse a US citizen?

Yes No

1.26. Do you speak English on a regular basis (at least once a week)?

Yes No

1.27. If yes, please assess your fluency level:

Excellent Good Fair

1.28. Do you read English on a regular basis (at least once a week)?

Yes No

1.29. If yes, assess your skill level:

Excellent Good Fair

1.30. Do you write English on a regular basis (at least once or twice a month)?

Yes No

1.31. If yes, assess your skill level:

Excellent Good Fair

1.32. Do you speak any language other than English on a regular basis (at least once a week)?

Yes No

1.33. If yes, please specify ______

4 1.34. Do you have children?

Yes No

1.35. If yes, please specify their number, age, and gender. (Please put [M] for male and [F] for female), speak English (please put [Y] for yes and [N] for No), nationality of the children (please put [Y] for yes and [N] for No).

Number of Age Gender Speak fluent Are they registered children English as US citizens

1.36. Which of the following represents the highest level of education that you have completed?

Partial secondary school education or less Secondary school graduate Bachelor degree Masters degree Terminal university degree (doctorate or equivalent) Post-graduate training

Section 2

2.1. Are you currently employed?

Yes No

2.2. If yes, please select your current area of employment: (tick one only)

A diasporic organization (for Americans abroad) An intergovernmental organization An international organization A government institution representing your country of residence (Lebanon) A government institution representing your sending country (US) An NGO/Non-profit organization An academic institution A business/practice A family business Others, please specify______

2.3. If you are working full-time for a (Americans abroad) diasporic organization, what is the name and location(s) of the diasporic organization? (Optional).

______

2.4. If you are not employed by or the leader of a diasporic organization, are you an active member of any diasporic organization?

Yes No

5 2.5. If yes, is the organization (you may tick more than one):

A cultural association A political association A development association A financial institution A religious association A village association A research center An academic/educational institution A chamber of commerce Other (Please specify: ______)

2.6. What is your role within the organization (you may tick more than one)?

I send donations I participate in the activities set up by the organization I volunteer my time as an organizer Other, please specify______

2.7. If you volunteer your time at the organization, is it:

Few times a week Few times a month Few times a year

2.8. Does the organization you are involved with have other offices in other countries?

Yes No

2.9. If yes, how many offices are there approximately? And where?

______

Section 3

3.1. How often do you visit the US?

Very often From time to time Never

3.2. If you visit the US, when was your last visit? ______

3.3. Do you actively follow the American news?

Yes No

3.4. If yes, how often:

Very often From time to time

3.5. If you follow the American news, what is the medium you use (You may tick more than one):

Print version of American newspapers and/or magazines Online American newspapers and/or magazines Online news bulletins and discussion groups American satellite TV channels Others, please specify______

6 3.6. If yes, what type of news do you follow? (You may tick more than one):

Political Cultural Social Business related Others, please specify______

3.7. Do you participate in the activities of either the Democrats Abroad (DAL) or the Republicans Abroad (RAL) in Lebanon on a regular basis?

Yes No

3.8. Would you be interested in attending an event organized by either the RAL or the DAL in your region of Lebanon (especially before elections)?

Yes No

3.9. If yes, what type of event would interest you the most? (You may tick more than one)

Political Social/Cultural Business related Educational

3.10. Would you consider volunteering as a campaign worker for either the DAL or the RAL?

Yes No

3.11. Do you feel that the pre-election activities organized by the RAL or the DAL in 2007/2008 had any effect on your voting preferences?

Yes No

Section 4

4.1. Are you eligible to vote in the US?

Yes No

4.2. If yes, did you vote during the 2008 American presidential elections?

4.3. If you voted during the 2008 American presidential elections, what were your main reasons for voting?

______

4.4. If you did not vote during the 2008 presidential elections, what were your main reasons for not voting?

______

4.5. Did you help organize the absentee voting process for American expats wishing to vote outside of the US?

7 4.6. If you did vote in the recent presidential elections, how did you register?

By mail (post) At the embassy Online By fax Other: (please mention)______

4.7. Did the DAL or RAL organize registration events before the primaries in your area of Lebanon?

Yes No

4.8. Did the RAL or DAL organize registration events leading up to voting in the general elections in your area?

Yes No

4.9. Did the DAL or RAL provide you with all the information required for registering and voting as an eligible voter?

Yes No

4.10. Were there any representatives from either American political party monitoring your registration or voting process?

Yes No

4.11. How practical did you find the registration process, on a scale of one to five? (1 being not at all practical and 5 being very practical)

1 2 3 4 5

4.12. If your state’s electoral system involves email or online ballots, how easy were they to fill out?

Very easy Somewhat easy Slightly difficult Difficult Very difficult

4.13. In the voter registration/ballot request process, did you have any questions and/or problems?

Yes No

4.14. If yes, please mention them: ______

4.15. Did you file a voter registration/ballot request form for the 2008 primary or general elections? (tick one only)

Yes, I sent in a voter registration/ballot request form No, I did not send in a voter registration/request form No, my ballot/s arrived without filing a new form No, I tried but was unable to complete the process

4.16. Would you recommend the use of the same ballots used in 2008 for the next election (2010)?

8 4.17. Would you prefer to have a uniform format for all ballots in all states at the next election?

4.18. Did your absentee ballot arrive in time from your voting district in the United States?

Yes No

4.19. If a non-partisan, non-governmental organisation abroad facilitated the process of registering to vote or of casting your ballot, please indicates which one (or more) below?

American Women's Club American Chamber of Commerce American Voices Abroad (AVA) Other: (please mention) ______

4.20. At the next elections, would you be willing to vote in person at a polling station located at the US embassy or consulate in your country of residence?

4.21. If yes, but the embassy or consulate is located several hundred kilometers away from your place of residence, would you be willing to invest the necessary travel time and money needed to vote there?

4.22. At the next elections, would you be willing to vote in person at a US government approved polling station located at a place other than the US embassy or consulate in your country of residence?

4.23. If you had the opportunity to vote by fax, would you vote by fax in the 2010 American elections?

4.24. If you had the opportunity to vote by e-mail, would you vote by email in the 2010 American elections?

4.25. If you had the opportunity to vote by proxy, would you vote by proxy in the 2010 American elections?

9 4.26. Many countries around the world have reserved seats in the upper and lower houses of parliament (the equivalent of the US Senate and House of Representatives respectively) for their diaspora population. Below is a list of arguments commonly used in support of reserved seats in parliament for expatriates. Please rate each argument according to whether you think it is extremely important, somewhat important, neutral, not very important, or not at all important:

ARGUMENT EXTREMELY SOMEWHAT NEUTRAL NOT VERY NOT AT ALL IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT

Americans living abroad make great contributions to the US and must be able to have a say in how the country is governed, through their own members of the Senate and House of Representatives.

American residents are not making good voting choices with respect to issues directly related to the diaspora.

American residents do not have a true grasp of international politics and are making choices with severe international political consequences.

The position of the political party or community you are a member of is in favor of reserved seats in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Reserved seats in the Senate and House of Representatives will allow you to vote for the candidate who will create favorable investment opportunities for American expats.

10 4.27. Below is a list of arguments commonly used against reserved seats in the upper and lower houses of parliament for the diaspora population. Please rate each argument according to whether you think it is extremely important, somewhat important, neutral, not very important, or not at all important in determining your opinion:

ARGUMENT EXTREMELY SOMEWHAT NEUTRAL NOT VERY NOT AT ALL IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT IMPORTANT

Americans living abroad do not pay taxes in the US because of the generous write-off provisions, and therefore should not have the right to be represented directly in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Introducing reserved seats in the Senate and House of Representatives for the US diaspora population is not cost- effective.

Americans living abroad are not making good voting choices (e.g. you think they are influenced by the foreign policies of the countries they are residing in), and therefore should not have the right to elect their own representatives in the Senate and House of Representatives.

Americans living abroad are not aware of local American politics and their votes will have negative consequences for American residents.

The position of the political party or community that you are part of is not in favor of reserved seats in the Senate and House of Representatives and for the diaspora.

Section 5

5.1. If you voted from Lebanon during the 2008 US presidential elections, did you observe some sort of monitoring mechanism in place?

5.2 If yes, in which field was it being implemented?

Registration Voting Financial expenditures Other: (please specify)______

11 5.3. If you answered yes to 5.1, who was conducting it?

The US embassy The political parties abroad An independent commission (e.g. FEC) Representatives of a US state in your country of residence Representatives of the US federal government in your country of residence Other: (please specify)______

5.4. What did the monitoring process consist of?

Observer commission on election day Post election recount Pre election prediction of voter turnout and expected results Other: (please specify)______

5.5. How satisfied were you with the integrity of the voting process in these elections?

EXTREMELY SOMEWHAT NEUTRAL NOT VERY NOT AT ALL SATISFIED SATISFIED SATISFIED SATISFIED

5.6. During the 2008 elections, from where do you think the diasporic partisan organizations (DAL, RAL, Greens, Libertarians, etc.) were receiving the funding for their campaigns and events? (You may tick more than one)

Contributions from their members Funding from their head offices in the US Public fundraising events Sponsorship from various American corporations/groups/individuals Sponsorship from various non-American corporations/groups/individuals Unknown Other: (please specify)______

5.7. Did you notice any specific monitoring device in place to prevent the illegal funding of the partisan organizations by non-American actors?

5.8. Please rank the following voting methods from most transparent to least transparent (1 being the most transparent and 6 being the least transparent)

Voting by post Voting by fax Voting in person through the American diplomatic mission in your country of residence Voting in person in a US government approved polling station outside your diplomatic mission Voting by proxy Electronic voting

5.9. Would you prefer to have a unified monitoring system throughout all of the US and abroad?

12 5.10. If yes, for which of the following would you like to see it be implemented? (you may tick more than one)

Registration Voting Financial expenditures Other: (please specify)______

5.11. If you answered yes to question 5.9, which would you recommend?

Observer commission on election day Post election recount Pre election prediction of voter turnout and expected results Other: (please specify)______

Section 6

6.1. As far as you are aware, does the American diplomatic mission (embassy or consulate) in Lebanon have a website?

Yes No I do not know

6.2. If yes, how often do you visit the website?

Never Sometimes Often

6.3. As far as you are aware, is the website regularly updated?

Yes No I do not know

6.4. Are you satisfied with the content of the website?

EXTREMELY SOMEWHAT NEUTRAL NOT VERY NOT AT ALL SATISFIED SATISFIED SATISFIED SATISFIED

6.5. Have you ever received postal notification, faxes, or emails from the American diplomatic mission in Lebanon?

6.6. In the months prior to the 2008 election, did you receive post, a fax, or email from the American diplomatic mission in Lebanon informing you of election dates and requirements for voting in the US?

13 6.7. As far as you are aware, does the embassy in Lebanon organize events (cultural, social, political, business-related, or educational) for American citizens?

VERY OFTEN OFTEN SOMETIMES NEVER

Cultural events

Social events

Political events

Events with a business aspect

Educational events

6.8. How would you rate your relationship with the American diplomatic mission in Lebanon?

THE BEST BETTER THAN NEUTRAL AVERAGE NEEDS AVERAGE IMPROVEMENT

6.9. How efficient is your embassy in processing your requests?

HIGHLY EFFICIENT SOMEWHAT INEFFICIENT NOT APPLICABLE EFFICIENT

6.10. Do you think that it is important that the embassy maintain neutrality during elections?

6.11. If yes, which measures should be taken to ensure neutrality (you may tick more than one)?

Ensure partisan balance among embassy staff Instill transparency and monitoring of embassy activities Ensure regular rotation of the ambassador and embassy staff Ensure a verifiable complaints system Other: (please specify)______

6.12. Do you think that it is important that the members of the embassy staff, or other American federal government employees working in Lebanon, who are US citizens should be permitted to participate in US partisan politics, e.g. join the RAL or DAL?

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US WITH THIS PROJECT

(Kindly return this duly filled out questionnaire to [email protected])