Politics Abroad: How Foreign Students Stay Involved Back Home

Names have been changed.

Last year, the St Andrews undergraduate student body was composed of 8,388 students, representing over 120 countries. Although they no longer reside in their home countries, many students still feel a sense of responsibility to stay involved in their national and local political scenes. With some reaching the age where they are eligible to vote, they’ve started to pay closer attention to their nations’ politics in order to understand the value of their vote. 

However, does their physical distance from their home countries reduce their ability to be politically involved? To answer this question, I spoke with four students from four different countries who shared their experiences participating in their nation’s political scene from abroad. 

One Canadian student, Ryan, refuted the idea that distance inherently diminishes one’s involvement in their home country’s politics. “I still feel pretty involved in Canadian politics, just because of my family at home and friends. It matters to me what happens in the Canadian elections so deeply,” he shared. He noted that as a Canadian living abroad, current political issues have a different effect on him than they would if he still lived in Canada, saying, “It affects me less, but it still affects me.” He pointed to the poor exchange rate of the Canadian dollar to the pound as an example of this continuing impact. 

Ryan shared that he will likely vote as an absentee in the upcoming 2025 Prime Minister Elections. “I’m considering spoiling my ballot, which is something you can do in Canada, where you can intentionally ruin it. Basically, you’re voting in protest of the current candidates,” Ryan explained. He added that “You’re still expressing yourself by expressing your displeasure with the current set of candidates.” 

Although he is over 4,500 kilometres from his home province of Ontario, Ryan believes that now, more than ever, his vote will be important in the upcoming election. Ryan’s electoral district is especially significant, comparing it to a “swing state, but on a smaller level.” He credited his district’s importance for his involvement in the upcoming election. “I guess that helps me feel involved in Canadian politics.”

Another international student echoed Ryan’s sentiments on his duty and obligation to participate in his home country’s political scene. Carter, a French citizen, plans to vote in all future elections, no matter where he is living. When asked why he feels obligated to vote, Carter pointed to personal morality. “In Europe, we can see the rise in populism and the fall and decline in democracy, and so I think I have a moral duty as a citizen of Europe to help prevent the fall of democracy [...] in particular as a French person.” 

He plans to support Emmanuel Macron over Marine Le Pen with the aim of “ensuring France’s general well-being in it remaining a democracy and Europe being protected as a collection of democracies.”  

When asked whether he felt detached from French politics as a result of living in Scotland, Carter revealed he feels quite the opposite. “The societies here do a really good job of encouraging connections between people’s home nation […] and I think actually that will encourage me to vote as an absentee in French elections in the future.” He added that, “It’s more that I’m becoming more connected to France by living here and being part of the French Society.” 

Carter admitted to having internal debates over justifying his right to influence decisions over how a country that he no longer lives in should be run. “I guess part of me thinks, well, I don’t live there, and reservedly, I guess I’m kind of thinking, what right do I have to try to influence politics in a nation where I don’t live?” 

Dutch student Sarah spoke on her experience voting as an absentee voter in the most recent Dutch elections. Like Ryan and Carter, Sarah is committed to expressing her views in her native country’s elections, feeling a sense of accountability and pride despite not physically living in her home country. “I’ve only ever voted absentee in the Netherlands, and that’s really important to me. I just think it’s my country, I do feel like I have a say.”

One major difference as an absentee voter is that you cast your vote earlier in comparison to citizens living in their home nation. This can impact Dutch voters, such as Sarah, who may have voted differently if they had known how wide of a margin the right wing was ahead this year. “I voted earlier before the polls properly reflected that, and I would’ve voted differently.” 

Nevertheless, Sarah feels that voting in national elections is “really important and the general consensus that I get from my mates is that people find it quite important”. As an absentee voter, she does not let distance infringe on her role as an eligible voter.

However, Sarah admitted that it can be hard to stay informed in Scotland where “the narrative surrounding the election is minimised.” Instead of hearing different points of view in day-to-day conversations, Sarah is now dependent on finding her own sources to inform her opinions on Dutch politics. “You’re not really interacting with it as much or hearing different sides of the debate,” Sarah explained. “If you’re [an] absentee you go search up on the internet and use news sources and stuff, not so much daily conversation.”

Cecelia, a US citizen, recently cast her absentee ballot for one of the most polarised elections in American history. “I sent in my absentee ballot as soon as I could, because I think that it’s really important that every single vote gets counted.” When asked why she was so adamant about voting in this year’s presidential election, she explained how, “Kamala could not only be the first female president, but the first South-Asian president. As a South Asian, I feel like that is something that can be very inspiring and getting that representation into the White House could be very pivotal in the future of the United States.” 

Beyond Harris’s potential to break down gender and ethnic barriers, Cecelia was passionate about other major topics in the election. “As a woman, I think that our bodies are at stake in this election.” No matter where she is currently living, Cecelia’s stance is not defined by borders or place of residency. “Standing by is condoning,” she added. “I think it is of utmost importance to get my voice out there and say who I want to be president and say how I want my body to be treated by the government.”

Although their reasonings vary from conserving democracy to protecting women’s rights, each student felt a responsibility to participate in their nation’s political scene. As Sarah said, “I’m still very much involved, still very much care, and still do try to inform myself as much as possible.” 

Illustration: Isabella Abbott