Volume Nine, Number Four   September 2004    www.columbiajournal.ca

Beating the Bushes for Democrats

U.S Election Reaches North

The  U.S. Federal 2004 election on November 2nd promises to be a very close race and U.S. citizens living in Canada  could make a crucial difference in the final outcome.

Diana Kerry, sister to US Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry, dropped in to Vancouver August 18th  to connect with American citizens living in the area and register them to vote in this November’s Presidential election.

It is estimated that over 500,000 U.S. citizens/dual citizens live in Canada and all are eligible to vote by absentee ballots.   Kerry was part of a worldwide tour organized by Americans Overseas for Kerry .

Diana Kerry told her audience that the  2004 election will be a close race, and according to Democrats Abroad  several key swing states will probably make the difference in the presidential race.  Kerry reminded all Americans living in Canada “of  their duty and right to vote.”

She stressed that  the U.S. Election Act permits any American citizen, living anywhere in the world, to vote in his/her last state of residence by absentee ballot.

Because six U.S. states were decided by less than  7,500 votes in 2000, the approximately 500,000 eligible American voters living in Canada could make a big difference.

Democrats Abroad Canada (DAC) has been engaged in a year-long voter registration campaign to register Americans so they can vote in the 2004 presidential election. They also point out that 
six U.S.-Canada border states are expected to be swing states, meaning they could go to either party.  If the majority of eligible Americans in Canada were to vote, it would be a larger turnout than eight states and the District of Columbia in 2000.

“There are no reliable statistics in Canada that accurately reflect distribution of American voters by (U.S.) state,” said Robert Bell, past DAC Chair.   “But chances are many of the Americans living here are from key battleground states like Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Wisconsin and Washington, and that increases the likelihood that Canadian voters will have a real impact on who wins the U.S. Presidency in 2004.”

Many remember the U.S. Supreme Court stepping over the Florida Supreme Court to end the ballot counting and declaring George W. Bush elected by 537 votes. Within eight months of his inauguration his monstrous failure to guard the US resulted in a massive terrorist attack on New York on September 11, 2001. Despite that and notwithstanding his efforts to destroy the US economy and wreak havoc in international affairs with his military adventures,  the incumbent Bush continues to maintain the support of half of polled American voters.

Democrats Abroad Canada has an active B.C. Chapter chaired by Karen Funt in Vancouver (bcdemocrats@hotmail.com) & Susan Mullen in Victoria (islandbcdemocrats@yahoo.ca) .