'Consternation' in Hamilton and Niagara after 'anxiety-ridden' U.S. election day

There was a nervous energy in a Hamilton pub on Tuesday night as members of the Hamilton and Burlington, Ont., chapter of Democrats Abroad gathered at The George Hamilton pub to watch as election results started coming in.

"I believe this is my 14th presidential election since I reached voting age and I've never been more anxiety-ridden," chapter chair Ron Barrett told CBC Hamilton. He came to Canada from Illinois 14 years ago and has a property in Michigan, where he votes.

Many U.S. citizens abroad, as well as their children, can vote in that country's elections. The mission of Democrats Abroad is to encourage voting, Barrett said, no matter who it's for.

This year, he said, the "consequences are tremendous." 

Pointing to statements Donald Trump made about seeking revenge on his political opponents, Barrett said he worries about what could happen if the Republican presidential candidate wins.

"Most people I know just want this to be over and are hoping for a blue win."

But in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the race was called not for Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, but for Trump, who will become the 47th president of the United States.

Niagara Falls on edge, says mayor

In the days leading up to election night Tuesday, the uncertainty of the results and its eventual policy implications have caused "consternation," in the border city of Niagara Falls, Ont., Mayor Jim Diodati says. Residents feel on edge.

In his community, "going over the river" is synonymous with going to Niagara Falls, N.Y., he said. "We're one big city divided by a border."

Speaking to CBC Hamilton on Tuesday afternoon, Diodati said he's heard from plenty of people in Canada who are "watching [the election] closely with bated breath."

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A Harris victory might've meant more of the same, he said, but a Trump win could have policy implications on the border and trade which would be deeply felt in Niagara.

Diodati said some business leaders he knows of are opening offices across the border in an attempt to get ahead of possible buy-American policies. 

Voter wishing for more choice in political parties

In Hamilton, expat Georgie Kearns said she's struggled with not fitting in with Republicans or Democrats. 

"It's a very difficult place to be because both sides are trying to convince you of their argument," she told CBC Hamilton.

Kearns said she thinks she and her husband are both moderate, but the two parties are extreme and not serving people's best interests.

"Democrats take advantage of the poor and Republicans try to take advantage of Christians," she said.

Kearns came to Canada from the U.S. after university and eventually worked in the football business — her husband played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. She said she doesn't approve of Harris's morals.

"I am a Republican but I feel like the Republican party has to give us a better choice," Kearns said.

That, Kearns said, is why she chose not to vote this year. 

"I believe many Republicans have voted for a demon, so that the devil doesn't get in."

Americans looking for 'love and belonging,' voter says

Amy-Willard Cross, who attended the Democrats Abroad gathering, said she'd just returned from get-out-the-vote work in Erie-County, N.Y. She said she was hopeful women would turn out for Harris in part to support reproductive rights. 

Cross, who's lived in Canada for 35 years and votes in Virginia, said she's also seen deepening division between Democrats and Republicans despite Americans wanting the same things.

"They want a safe place," Cross said. "They want love and belonging. They don't want to fight with their neighbours."

According to Tami Friedman, a professor of history at Brock University, Trump is the latest American conservative who's had success courting working-class and middle-class voters, despite not being of that background, Friedman said.

The reasons are complex, she said, but the result is often people blaming immigrants and people of colour for their economic struggles, rather than the wealthy people and corporations.