Voting for United States elections does not only occur within the borders of the country. In 2022, there were an estimated 4.4 million American voters who lived abroad, including in Canada, which hosts the largest population of voting age U.S. citizens outside of the United States.
Outreach to engage and converse about voting outside of the United States in elections within the country takes on various approaches including through opinion pieces in international newspapers. Professor Kathryn Sikkink who is the Ryan Family Professor of Human Rights Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School published an article in the Global and Mail titled “Americans living in Canada ought to vote in U.S. elections” to further inspire Americans up North to engage in the U.S. elections.
Professor Sikkink discusses the importance of overseas voting participation especially for Americans in Canada for the upcoming midterm elections including misconceptions that may prevent Americans from voting under their federally protected right to vote under the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. Furthermore, Professor Sikkink points towards resources such as U.S. Vote Foundation which provides clear and non-partisan information on how to vote from abroad.
Engaging in one’s right to vote from Canada as an American is additionally critical as “U.S. elections can influence the prices Canadians pay, the security of Canadian jobs, and the policies governing everything from cross-border trade to Arctic defense.”
The United States does not stand alone in its policy of including overseas voters in the formal election process. 152 countries across the globe permit citizens to cast their ballot from outside of the country in some manner extending the borders of civic engagement beyond traditional borders.
The role of Americans in Canada, specifically, to engage in their right to vote in the elections in November is critical as Professor Sikkink discusses in her article. Both nations influence each other in various ways further amplifying the critical nature of encouraging Americans in Canada especially to get to the polls this November.
The professor asserts that collective action to encourage Americans to vote can be further strengthened by both Americans and Canadians in Canada.
“U.S. citizens in Canada can encourage other Americans to vote. Canadians can also remind their American friends and neighbors that U.S. elections have consequences well beyond the United States.”
Professor Sikkink brings additional attention to role of overseas voting as the decisions made in Washington D.C. can affect the globe including Canada and does not only impact the United States.
For a first time voter from abroad, the process to vote from abroad can be made simpler by starting with a how-to-vote checklist. Voters can generate their checklist through an interactive tool, the Voter Journey Map, developed by U.S. Vote Foundation.
Create your How-to-Vote from Abroad Checklist with the Voter Journey Map
Additional resources such as the Voter Help Desk can address any questions or concerns that voters have when requesting and casting their ballot from abroad.
Take me to the Voter Help Desk
Encouragement for Americans across the world to engage in their right to take part in American elections can include assisting American friends to access reliable information on how to vote and engaging in camaraderie based in civic engagement amongst Americans within and outside of the United States.