Gone, but Not Forgotten

STUART ISETT for TIME

POLL WATCH: Americans in Paris, many of whom see the U.S.'s global role as a key electoral issue, watch a Bush-Kerry debate

Sarah Shackelton, an American businesswoman who has lived in London for 10 years, seems like a good citizen. She has a master's degree in public administration and used to work for the U.S. Federal Government as a trade negotiator. But during the U.S. presidential election four years ago, as overseas votes trickled in and officials pored over hanging chads in Florida, Shackelton realized she had shirked the most fundamental civic duty: casting a ballot. "I felt embarrassed and irresponsible," she confesses. This time Shackelton, who supports Democratic nominee Senator John Kerry, registered for an absentee ballot and spent a night last...

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