Voter decision points: the role of government

American women recently gathered at an event in Bern to learn how to do their US taxes from abroad. There was a good deal of frustration and confusion with the current tax system, but when asked what issues most influenced their vote in the 2012 presidential election, none of these expat women referenced anything to do with tax codes or Swiss-US relations.

Instead, they were voting on larger issues affecting America’s standing in the world or their friends and relatives back home.

Robin Bartlett Rissi, an American who now lives in Bern, says her vote was mostly decided by her respect for the role of government in American society.

“In my opinion there was one candidate who believed in having a government and having it provide for the people,” she told swissinfo.ch.