U.S. citizens in Canada should vote electronically if they can, Democrat group warns

There are hundreds of thousands of voting-age U.S. citizens living on this side of the border who are able to cast ballots in Tuesday’s presidential election.

But an arm of the Democratic party is urging them to consider using a private courier to send their ballots state-side, if they’ve not already done so and can’t cast those ballots electronically. 

Democrats Abroad Canada fears a potential strike by postal workers here could be a problem for mail-in ballots. 

“A lot of ballots have already been sent back and already received,” Jacob Wesoky, the executive vice-chair of Democrats Abroad Canada, told CBC Radio’s The Early Edition.

“If you sent your ballot back a while back, you’re probably fine. It’s the ballots being sent now — by mail — that could be at risk.”

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers recently received a strike mandate from its members. 

A cooling-off period in the talks ends on Saturday. Workers would be in a legal position to strike at 12:01 a.m. ET on Sunday, if notice is given 72 hours in advance.

Some states allow voters living abroad to cast their ballots electronically. But others do not.

“Our number one advice is: If your state allows electronic or fax return, do that,” Wesoky said. “If not, consider using a private courier, such as UPS, FedEx or DHL or others.”

Tuesday’s election will determine who takes the White House after Joe Biden’s presidency comes to an end in January.

Polls show the Democratic nominee, U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, in a tight race against former president Donald Trump, who is the Republicans’ presidential pick for the third consecutive election.