American expats in Saskatchewan are closely watching Tuesday’s election. From the presidential battle to the Senate elections to concerns about unrest in the streets and women’s rights, their attention is focused.

Heather Ross is originally from Southern California and lives in Saskatoon. Her parents still live in California and she visits them often.

Ross was able to mail in his ballot. She said the process went smoothly because the state of California made it easy.

“It’s even worse. Absolutely more stressful than it was four years ago,” Ross said.

She said she voted for Kamala Harris because of some of Donald Trump’s stated plans.

“He’s talking about mass expulsions, tariffs against other countries, shooting the media,” Ross said. “I think if he does half of what he talks about, the world will be in a terrible situation.”

She said she would also monitor the U.S. Senate elections, which could shift the balance of power if Democrats win the majority. She said state legislatures are also extremely important.

“Abortion is on the ballot in many places. So we have to see what people are going to do about it.”

CBC contacted several Saskatchewanians who had previously spoken about their support for Republicans, but they declined interview requests.

American woman from Regina grateful for access to abortion

“I was full of anger and rage just Friday night when I was taken into surgery, because my prognosis in many states would have been death,” said Aurora Marinari, a native of Buffalo, Wash. New York, but now lives in New York. Regina.

Marinari was more than six weeks pregnant when she discovered she had an ectopic pregnancy, which is a fertilized egg growing outside the main cavity of the uterus.

“I was at the top of the surgery list on Friday. I didn’t have to wait long as my procedure was considered urgent because the embryo had reached a certain size,” she said. “At any moment my fallopian tube could have ruptured and I would have bled out and died.”

Marinari said she fears the rights of women and 2SLGBTQ+ people will be violated if Trump is re-elected. Marinari said whatever happens in the United States also affects people in Canada. She pointed the finger at MPs and MPs in Canada who want to restrict access to abortion and reproductive rights.

“I really hope that Americans make the right decision tomorrow,” she said. “I just hope we can continue to move forward and not backward.”

Rosemary Loeffler grew up in New York, but received her Canadian citizenship in 1976. She lived in La Ronge, Saskatchewan, for a long time before moving to Langley, British Columbia.

She still visits Saskatchewan often to see friends and family in Regina.

“I look at the division in the United States, it really worries me. Growing up there, Americans were really different politically, but they were one, they were Americans,” she said. “Now there’s a lot of division and there’s a lot more political violence.”

Loeffler said she hoped for more unity in the United States and less division along political lines.

“I hope the election results will be positive and the United States will be safe,” she said. “It’s still the country of my birth.”

Local implications of the US elections

Brian McQuinn, associate professor of international studies at the University of Regina, said polarization is not unique to the United States.

“If we even look at elections here in Saskatchewan, we see this kind of divide between urban and rural areas,” he said.

McQuinn said this election was less about politics and more about vibes and identity politics. A few issues like abortion, health care and middle-class support are present, but much of it relies on using fear and identity politics to drive voter turnout, he said .

WATCH | What is at stake in the American elections for Canada?

What is at stake in the American elections for Canada?

Chief Political Correspondent Rosemary Barton speaks with International Trade Minister Mary Ng about how Ottawa is preparing for the arrival of the next U.S. president, the meetings that will take place in Washington and the impact that business and the trade could have here. Plus, a conversation with U.S. Ambassador to Canada David Cohen about the upcoming election, including whether he’s surprised the race is so close, and his thoughts on U.S. relations and Canada.

Ultimately, McQuinn said he hopes to see a clear winner from the start, rather than letting the process drag on for weeks.

McQuinn said he doesn’t see the U.S. result having a huge impact on the country’s trade relationship with Canada. He said Trump had already destroyed NAFTA, but then renegotiated a new deal with Canada and Mexico.

“That theoretically gives us some protection against this tariff program that he purports to introduce,” he said.