The estimated 800,000 Dominicans resident in the New York City area follow closely the fortunes of their preferred political parties back home, but unless they are willing to travel 2,000 miles and spend $400, they can’t vote in the presidential elections. Though most other nations have made provision for their citizens living abroad to vote, RD’s Central Elections Board (JCE) has not as yet been able to overcome a variety of problems at home, and so has given scant attention to the claims of voters in the U.S. Congress approved a bill to create voting rights abroad in 1997, and the JCE even sent a logistical investigate team to NYC as a follow-up. But nothing has resulted to date. Dominican neighborhoods in NYC are replete with election signs and posters. As quoted in Listin Diario, Maximo Padilla, President of the Committee of Dominicans in the Exterior stated, "we’re not asking anyone to give us anything. Rather that they follow-up on the law that’s been approved." In the mean time, the three major parties are organizing voter airlifts home for the May 16th elections.
