U.S. EXPATS, PLEASE VOTE

Monday night’s first debate between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump marked the start of the final sprint in the United States’ presidential election. This is a pivotal moment for Americans; it would be great if more of them would actually vote.

But turnout figures in U.S. elections are discouraging: just 53.6 of voting-age adults in the 2012 presidential election cast ballots, according to the Pew Research Centre — one of the lowest rates among OECD countries. Yet Pew also notes that turnout among registered voters was actually quite high: 84.3 per cent. So an awful lot of adult Americans simply didn’t register.

They should — and Canadians can help. In a YouTube townhall appeal Monday, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Bruce Heyman noted “the largest percentage of Americans living abroad live right here in Canada.” Indeed, of the more than 2.6 million Americans eligible to vote reside abroad, about 661,000 of them are in this country. Ambassadorial spouse Vicki Heyman urged Canadians to urge any Americans they know in Canada to register, using a special website (www.FVAP.gov) set up for Americans abroad. Embassy consular officials even spent an hour online taking questions from would-be voters.

The percentage of Americans outside their nation who bother voting is abysmal. A recent study, for instance, showed only four per cent cast a ballot in the 2014 midterm elections (to be fair, midterms don’t choose a president). Of the top 10 cities that house American expatriates, four — Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Quebec City — are in Canada. Voter turnout among that population in 2014 varied from five per cent in Toronto to two per cent in Vancouver to less than one per cent in Quebec City (numbers weren’t available for Ottawa).

These people need to vote on Nov. 8, and they need to register soon; in many states, the deadline is as early as Oct. 10.

Ex-pat Americans, there are two reasons you should vote: your general interest in the state of your union, of course; and your interest in how the next American president will interact with Canada, where you now reside. Do you favour Trump’s foreign policy agenda, or Clinton’s? Does it matter which will enjoy a better relationship with the government north of the border? Whose trade policies align better? Who will make it easier for you personally to travel back and forth? All of this depends on why you are currently living here, of course — but it’s undeniable that U.S. policies have huge impacts on Canada.

The views of the next president will affect Americans wherever they are. So register now, catch the next debate — and vote.