Canada is home to the largest segment of eligible American voters living abroad. Some 600,000 people who are eligible to cast a ballot in the U.S.
presidential election live north of the border, according to the Federal Voting Assistance Program. That total accounts for roughly 20 per cent of the nearly three million U.S.
citizens living abroad who can send in a ballot. "Canada is a humongous voting block. We're bigger than some of the states for how many people actually live in this country and have the ability to vote," said David Schellenberg, co-chair for Canada's Capital Region branch of Democrats Abroad.
"For example, North Dakota and Wyoming, Canada is bigger than them for the overall ability to cast a ballot. The biggest trick, is sometimes people don't know they can cast a ballot." Ballots from American voters in Canada count in the state they last called home.
For dual citizens born in Canada but still eligible to vote in the U.S. presidential election, their vote will count in the state of their parents' last American address.
Historically, voter turnout for the segment of the electorate living in Canada has been bleak. In many cases, turnout has failed to eclipse ten per cent. "Every last vote counts," said former American ambassador to Canada, Bruce Heyman.
"We've spent the last several months, intensively over the last several weeks, trying to reach as many Americans as possible in Canada to encourage them to get registered and vote, and hopefully they've done t.
