For Hiroko Hashitani, a Japanese citizen living in the U.S. state of Utah, casting a ballot for her home country’s election is no simple task.
A trek to her nearest polling station involves an hourlong flight and an Uber ride to a consulate in neighboring Colorado. To make the round trip, airline tickets alone can cost her upward of ¥13,000 ($120). Alternatively, driving to the consulate in Denver takes seven or eight hours each way.
“For those living overseas, voting for elections in Japan isn’t easy — the cost, time and mental energy it takes are just overwhelming,” said Hashitani, whose voting rights are registered with a municipality in western Japan where she last lived before leaving for the U.S. more than 20 years ago.