Americans in Canada urge fellow expats to vote in high-stakes midterm elections

OTTAWA — American Democrats living in Canada are prepared to shout their political choices from the rooftops ahead of next month’s midterm elections — while some of those who back Republican candidates seem leery of speaking out fearing a backlash from their neighbours.

Tammy Wilsker Mermelstein, a Texas voter who moved to the Greater Toronto Area last year, will be voting in a U.S. election from Canada for the first time.

While she used to be a Republican and voted that way until 2016, Wilsker Mermelstein said she has never voted for U.S. President Donald Trump. She said it’s crucial for people to vote this year as “Texas is in play.”

“Texas has not elected a Democrat in high office for at least two decades, probably longer, and this is the first solid chance,” she said. “They say every vote counts. This is really going to be an election where every vote matters, even in states where people aren’t used to having their vote matter if they’re in the minority.”

Americans head to the polls on Nov. 3 for midterm elections which could see the Democrats seize control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives from the Republicans. Democratic control of one or both chambers could significantly alter the path of Trump’s presidency, including the possibility of new impeachment proceedings against him, and investigations of some of his key allies and agency heads.

Expat participation in U.S. elections is typically low, though the Federal Voting Assistance Program estimates there were more than 430,000 eligible U.S. voters in Canada as of 2024.

The organization estimates turnout among Americans in Canada was about 10 per cent in the 2024 general election, while the domestic voting rate that year was about 76 per cent. The organization estimates the overall turnout among all eligible overseas U.S. citizens at 11 per cent.

Kathryn Sikkink, a professor at the Harvard Kennedy School who has volunteered with the U.S. Vote Foundation, said participation in voting abroad may be low because some citizens find it difficult. Some, she said, don’t even realize they’re eligible to vote.

The U.S. Department of State website says U.S. citizens can get an absentee ballot by mail, email or fax, or by downloading it from the internet, though options vary by state.

Most U.S. citizens can vote absentee for federal office candidates in U.S. primary and general elections. Some states also allow U.S. citizens living abroad to vote for local and state office candidates, and on referendums.

Georganne Burke, the chapter lead for Republicans Overseas in Canada, said it has been a “contentious year” as Americans living in Canada have watched “the back and forth” between the two governments over trade.

“They want to make sure that whatever’s going on in the States stays kind of healthy in case they have to go back home. So people, they are more engaged, I think, than they have in the past,” she said.

A dual citizen, Burke moved back to the U.S. a few months ago after spending 38 years in Toronto and Ottawa.

A Republican and Trump supporter, Burke said she estimates there is a roughly three-to-one Democrat to Republican ratio among American expats living in Canada.

“I know that most Republicans are very motivated to vote,” she said. “They’re very quiet about it. They don’t talk because they’re not received in a very friendly way in Canada, which is kind of unfortunate.

“Democrats are also motivated to vote, especially if they’re in one of those toss-up states, like Michigan.”

When The Canadian Press sought to speak with various American voters via social media pages and message boards, lots of Democrats stepped forward. Not one Republican did.

Burke said it’s a civic duty to vote in elections. She also said while some of the things Trump says and does make her “cringe,” she focuses on his accomplishments.

“A lot of the thing that he has done in the United States have made a huge difference for Americans, including dealing with the border problem in Mexico,” she said. “And I know it drives people crazy, but he is reshoring, as he puts it, American industry to the United States to employ Americans. That’s his job.”

Trump’s trade war with Canada has become a leading ballot box issue in some key states ahead of the U.S. midterms.

Trump rapidly escalated his trade war and rhetoric against Canada after trade negotiations fell apart in August. The president signed an order to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America and the United States hit an array of Canadian goods with 50 per cent tariffs. A few weeks later, Ottawa responded with its own retaliatory duties.

Jessica Matwick, a dual citizen who lives in Ottawa and is involved with Democrats Abroad and Indivisible Ottawa, said every eligible voter should get out and vote “to put a stop to an unhinged administration and a legislative body that has abdicated their responsibility to keep the executive in check.”

“The attacks on Canadian sovereignty and destructive tariff war are actions I cannot remain silent about,” said Matwick, who moved back to Canada in late 2016 and votes in Virginia. “I still have family living in the U.S. and many friends who I am concerned about.

“My heart hurts knowing that the damage that has been done in a relatively short period of time will take years and years to repair.”

Cody Littlefield, who moved to Canada from the U.S. in 2019 and now lives in Calgary, said he tries to vote in every election. A California voter, he said this election presents an opportunity for voters to send a message that what’s happening in the U.S. “is not acceptable.”

“The future of the country really matters to me,” said Littlefield, adding that he and his family may eventually move back to the U.S.

“There are some people who will never go back and maybe they just really don’t care about the domestic stuff, but I would say the foreign policy still does affect them.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 21, 2026.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press