The stakes couldn’t be higher south of the border as millions of Americans cast their ballots in the U.S. presidential election.
U.S. President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival, former vice-president Joe Biden, were barnstorming key battleground states trying to pick up or secure support.
More than 600,000 Americans currently reside in Canada, thousands of them in Montreal alone.
Americans living abroad have to mail in their absentee ballots.
Samantha Francis, a Washington state native, has been living in Montreal for six years and says this is the most important election since she started voting in 2008.
She says she cast her ballot for Biden.
“I just feel that he represents somebody who is more empathetic to people,” she told Global News.
Dual citizen Jeniene Phillips, who currently lives in Westmount, mailed in her ballot Oct. 9. She, too, wants to see change in the U.S. leadership.
“I’m losing sleep. I feel like my stomach is in my throat and I don’t think I will feel alright until there is clarity on who wins this election,” she told Global News.
Democrats Abroad Montreal Chair Randi Weitzner says there are plenty of reasons why it’s important for a change at the top — but one of the most important is to bring the country together.
“A lot of us here feel more in line with what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are saying,” she told Global News.
The coronavirus crisis, the economy, climate change, racial inequality and trade issues are also playing heavy on the minds of Americans.
“I’m still looking at the softwood lumber. The tariffs on steel and so on. We have not resolved these issues,” Guy Lachapelle, a professor at Concordia University, told Global News.
The election results may not be known until well into the night, days or even weeks later.