Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders has won big with Democrats abroad in a primary which saw an unprecedented voter turnout.
Sanders emerged victorious with 69% of the total vote, while former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton received just 31% of the vote.
A total of 14 delegates are assigned to the Democrats Abroad primary. Sanders will receive 9 delegates, while Clinton takes 4. Clinton also takes 3 of the pledged Superdelegate votes, while Sanders has just 1.
Votes from Democrats across the world totalled 34 570, as voting took place from March 1st to March 8th. A record voter turnout brought Sanders his victory, with voting among overseas Democrats 50% higher than in 2008. Democratic voters were able to cast their ballot in 153 voting centres across 38 countries.
The United Kingdom had the largest number of voters in the primary, accounting for 13.4% of the total vote. Sanders won 2874 votes from Democratic voters living and studying in the UK, while Secretary Clinton received 1726 votes.
Katie Solon, International Chair of Democrats Abroad has congratulated Sanders on the victory:
We are proud of the unprecedented turnout. A diverse constituency of Democrats of all voting ages, living across the globe, brought their perspectives and priorities to our Party’s nominating process. These enthusiastic voters will lead their fellow Americans living outside the US to vote from abroad in November.
Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton’s campaigns engaged with overseas Americans like no other presidential campaigns have before, each addressing the unique issues that face Americans abroad. Their efforts to reach out to the millions of American voters living overseas will be rewarded in the general election this fall.
The primaries continue this week with Democrats in Arizona, Idaho and Utah casting their ballot tomorrow. Wisconsin, Arizona and Hawaii will also vote later in the week. Sanders is looking to catch up with Secretary Clinton, who currently holds a strong lead of over 300 delegates.
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