Members of the Rwandan Diaspora all over the U.S to vote in the referendum of the Rwandan Constitution

Yesterday, December 17th 2015, members of the Rwandan Diaspora all over the U.S were able to cast their vote in the referendum of the Rwandan Constitution at 11 different polling stations. These we located in California, Texas, North Dakota, Indiana, Michigan, Maine, New York, Washington DC, Georgia, and Oklahoma.

Voting was intended to take place from 7am to 3pm as indicated by The Rwandan National Electoral Commission, but due to time zone differences and other obstacles, voting started at different times in the U.S. The central polling station in the U.S. was the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in Washington DC, where voting started at 8:10 am and ended at 10:10pm.

Over 500 Rwandans eligible voters living in the U.S. cast their vote in the referendum. Many expressed the joy to be able to actively take part in decisions that affect their country. Among those who voted were many first-time voters who shared their sentiment on this important act. “I feel that I am part of something important now. I contributed to the future of my country,” said Mick, a first-time voter from the DMV area.

The outcome of all votes in the U.S. Rwandan Diaspora was communicated to the National Electoral Commission in Kigali, Rwanda. The embassy would like to thank all who took their time to go exercise their voting rights. The Embassy would also like to thank all community leaders and volunteers.