U.S. election canvassers knock on Windsor doors in search of eligible American voters

If you live in Windsor, Ont. and get a knock at the door from a political canvasser, it might be surprising since there’s no election on the horizon at the municipal, provincial or federal level.

But across the Canada-U.S. border, the U.S. federal election is just two weeks away and, for the first time, door-to-door canvassing is happening in Windsor for a U.S. presidential election.

“There are over 20,000 Windsorites who hold U.S. citizenship,” said David Shelton, field management coordinator for Democrats Abroad in southern Ontario, adding that key states have been decided by slim margins in previous U.S. elections.

In 2016, Donald Trump won Michigan by 10,704 votes — roughly half the number of eligible U.S. voters estimated to live in Windsor — making every vote crucial in the tightly contested swing state.

Despite the name of the group behind the canvassing, Shelton said his team is part of Democrats Abroad's non-partisan wing.

Over the past week, Shelton and between seven to nine volunteers, depending on availability that day, have been searching for eligible U.S. voters in Windsor and encouraging them to vote.

“We want everyone’s voice to be heard, so our approach is just to encourage people to register and vote,” said Shelton, adding that this strategy allows them to access public spaces and reach more voters without appearing biased.

Door knocking in a Canadian city to find U.S. voters comes with challenges, as most people answering the door identify themselves as Canadian.

According to U.S. government data, about 606,000 Americans of voting age live in Canada.

But determining how many of those are registered for the 2024 U.S. election is difficult, said Jamey Essex, a political science professor at the University of Windsor.

He suggested that one reason Democrats Abroad might be canvassing in Windsor is the perception that Canada is a more left-leaning country.

“It’s a bit of a stereotype that’s longstanding,” said Essex.

“There is that sense among Americans that, if you’re living abroad, you’re probably prone to be a little more liberal. I don’t know if that’s actually the case. I think if you quizzed Americans on who is the ruling party at the provincial level in Ontario, I don’t know what kind of answer you’d get, but I think they might be surprised to find out it’s a conservative party.”

When asked about the impact of out-of-country voters on U.S. elections, Essex said it may be minimal.

“The turnout is usually quite low for voters abroad. It’s somewhere between five and 10 per cent, depending on the year,” said Essex.

But it’s those low numbers that Democrats Abroad’s canvassing team in Windsor hopes to increase for the 2024 election.

So far, the team has knocked on just over 2,000 doors in one week, with a goal of reaching 5,000 homes by U.S. election day on Nov. 5.

“A couple of days ago, we came across a house that had four eligible U.S. voters,” said Shelton. “Just one of those finds every now and then is enough to keep us going.”

“Talking to young people about the importance of their involvement in decisions that affect how our governments operate and how our world will be is so vitally important,” he said.

“That’s probably what I enjoy most about this exercise.”