In the latest episode of Czechast, Radio Prague International speaks to three people closely connected to this achievement: Julie O’Donovan, Marta McCabe, and political scientist Petr Just.
Julie O’Donovan lives in Oregon but returned to her ancestral homeland under the Giant Mountains—Podkrkonoší—when she joined the conversation. For Julie, the fight for postal voting has always been about democratic principle.
Photo: Zuzana Jarolímková, iROZHLAS.cz
“It’s not about who you are going to vote for, but about the ability to vote,” she says. “We always kept it at that level. Just make it possible.”
Julie is part of a broader network of Czech citizens abroad who pushed for reform without partisan motives—just a desire to be heard and included.
One of her fellow advocates is Marta McCabe, based in North Carolina. Her motivation was deeply emotional: a yearning for recognition and connection.
“It’s about belonging,” she explains. “It’s about us Czechs living abroad feeling that we belong to the Czech Republic. It’s also the other way around—that the Czech Republic extends its hands and feels more connected with people living abroad.”
The Czech Parliament approved the change in 2023, and the new system will take effect in time for the next round of national elections. While there are still technical and bureaucratic hurdles ahead, the symbolic step has already resonated deeply.
Political scientist Petr Just, who teaches at Metropolitan University in Prague, sees it as a victory not only for the expatriate community, but for Czech democracy itself.
Petr Just|Photo: Ian Willoughby, Radio Prague International
“From my perspective, I can only applaud this kind of civic engagement,” he says. “It led to a very positive conclusion when the mail-in voting was adopted into the Czech legal system.”
This change also comes at a time when many democracies are grappling with the role of diasporas, access to the ballot, and questions of national identity. In that context, Czechia’s decision feels both timely and hopeful.
Whether scattered across Europe, North America, or beyond, Czech citizens abroad now have more than a passport—they have a ballot. And, as this episode of Czechast shows, they also have a voice.
You can listen to the full episode of Czechast wherever you get your podcasts, or at radio.cz. Have feedback or ideas? Write us at [email protected].