With the U.S. presidential election less than two weeks away *gulp*, canvassers are busy going door-to-door to get the word out in… Windsor, Ontario?
Catch-up: While each state has different rules, broadly speaking, U.S. citizens living abroad can vote in American elections. While most of them typically don’t bother, both parties are increasingly targeting these overseas Yanks to get an edge in a historically tight race.
- Overseas votes matter more than you might think. In 2020, U.S. President Joe Biden won Georgia by just 11,779 votes after ~18,000 ballots were collected from abroad.
Driving the news: The main target is the over 600,000 voting-age Americans living in Canada, the top international residency for Americans. Parties are focused on registering voters in border towns near pivotal states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.
- Democratic organizers are posting ads by border crossings, street canvassing in cities, visiting universities, and even door knocking in American-heavy Windsor.
- And while Democrats are making a bigger push (voters in Canada are more likely to vote blue) Republicans are also doing voter outreach, particularly in Windsor.
Why it matters: With the race so agonizingly close, every vote — well every battleground state vote — counts. Expat turnout could sway the election, with former U.S. ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman telling Politico Americans in Canada “could determine” who wins.—QH