From the Outside Looking in, With No Clear Consensus

SOUTH KOREA – Ashley Clifton quickly makes it clear: She's not planning on voting.

"I haven't been following the primaries," she says. "Registering for absentee voting is too hard. And it's difficult for us to get regular information on the candidates."

Clifton, 20, is a soldier stationed at Camp Coiner, an army base in the middle of Seoul. As such, she is not unique. Here in Korea, where the American population comprises both military personnel and expatriates working abroad, she is merely one of thousands of officers, teachers, businessmen and others frustrated with the difficulties of civic engagement 12 time zones away from home.

Following the elections from abroad can be a maddening task. While the advent of telecommunications has made it easier than ever to track the progress of each candidate, foreign nationals lack opportunities to meet presidential hopefuls and attend events, to experience firsthand the domestic issues each candidate promises to address, to engage in the sort of frequent contact with other Americans that can influence a voter's decision.

As Samantha, a 27-year-old servicewoman from Florida, describes it, "It's just not as in-your-face as it would be in America." (Like many of the servicemen and women interviewed for this article, she declined to give her last name.)

Given this framework, however, responses to the election remain startlingly diverse – a reflection, perhaps, of the American population itself. Clifton is not alone in her apathy, but neither is she representative of Americans here, some of whom, despite the distance, remain deeply engaged with the political process.

"I've been following the elections very closely," said Calvin Rains, an English teacher in Jeju Province, who receives most of his information from "various Internet resources," including The New York Times, PBS, and the Korea Herald, an English-language paper published in Korea. "There's much more information available than I could possibly digest."

Of those who claim to be following the election, newspapers, magazines, and television remain some of the most popular sources of information. Michael Robb, 26, another teacher in Jeju, regularly watches CNN via its Web site. Jamie Perez, a 36-year-old soldier from Dallas, watches events "fairly closely" through the Armed Forces Network, a government channel provided for members of the military.

Others follow the election through different means. Carolyn, 38, who is married to a serviceman stationed here, has been discussing the election with relatives in her home state of Georgia in order to help her decide where she'll lend her support. While she remains undecided, she says, "I voted in the primary. And I will definitely be voting again."

So what, if anything, unites these people living abroad, whose opinions and engagement remain as diverse as their counterparts back home? A new appreciation for policy issues – specifically those reflecting America's image in the global community.

"I've gotten a much better glimpse of how foreigners are looking at us," said Fitz, 23, a soldier from Florida.

Robb describes himself as much more interested in foreign policy views specific to this part of the world: "News about Asia, specifically Korea, is a lot more important to me now." Others cited a new perspective on defense issues, with both greater concern for America's attitude towards other countries and the ways in which that might affect American security.

"I'm worried about having a safe environment, at home and abroad," said Carolyn.

Ultimately, these voters are united by their unique situation, but at the same time, their mere presence abroad doesn't guarantee them any greater or lesser enthusiasm than their peers in America.

As Isaac Bettis, 30, another teacher in Jeju, put it, despite the fact that he's living abroad, "I like politics. So I feel invested."