By ,
Published January 14, 2015
In this presidential election year, every vote counts — even in, say, Canada.
Both major parties are scouring the globe for U.S. citizens living or working abroad. With the closeness of the 2000 election in mind, each candidate has an incentive for chasing down the estimated 7 million voters living abroad.
"We know Florida was decided by 500-and-something votes. New Mexico was even closer ... 400 and change. New Hampshire was less than 20,000," said Roger King of Democrats Abroad Canada (search).
Around the world are rich veins of American votes to mine. Canada is home to an estimated 400,000 American citizens. Mexico has just slightly less, while a quarter of a million Americans live in Great Britain, and just fewer than 200,000 are in Israel.
Neither George Bush nor John Kerry has made campaign stops abroad, but they have sent surrogates. In Mexico, Diana Kerry has stumped for her brother and George P. Bush has campaigned for his uncle.
The parties predict a big international turnout.
"We've probably had about a thousand requests so far that we've responded to in the last couple of months," said Kelli Wight of Republicans Abroad Canada (search).
Click on the video box near the top of this story to watch a report by FOX News' Steve Brown.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/parties-target-voters-abroad