Trump's shadow looms over Americans in Montreal who cast ballots in U.S. midterms
Ex-pats say they reflected on president's performance before mailing in their votes
McGill University student Mackenzie Budman was too young to vote when Donald Trump was elected in 2016. Two years later, she's cast her first ballot in a U.S. federal election, voting Republican in her home state of Colorado.
"I think that this is an very important election," Budman told host Mike Finnerty this morning on CBC Montreal's Daybreak. "I felt that it was my civic duty to cast my vote and have my voice be heard."
Like many other ex-pat Americans living in Montreal, Budman voted by mail in today's midterm elections.
The midterm elections will decide who sits in the U.S. Congress for the next two years.
All 435 seats in the House of Representatives are up for grabs, as well as 35 Senate seats.
Voters in 33 states and three territories will also be deciding who they want as governor today.
Referendum on Trump's presidency
President Donald Trump is not on the ballot, although his performance in office is under scrutiny as electors go to the polls.
Andrew Figueiredo, also a McGill student, mailed in his vote two weeks ago, casting a ballot for the Democrats in his home state of Kansas.
Figueiredo says his vote was a reaction to Trump's presidency
"I think that the Trump agenda has been destructive," Figueiredo said.
"Having a president there who is so against the media, who encourages the beating up of people at his rallies — that's something really damaging for the country's institutions."
Trump's policies were what drove Budman to vote for the Republicans.
"I don't agree with everything that he says," she said, "but in the end I support the president."
"I think that [Trump's] policies keep the U.S. safe and protected from unfettered immigration, and as someone who plans to be working in the U.S., [the Republican] tax policy allows me to take home more money after taxes."
Budman says she remains optimistic about the future of her country.
"What I found is that when I talk to my friends who are maybe on the other side of the political spectrum, we could actually have a very civil discourse and come to some agreements."
- With files from CBC Montreal's Daybreak