A group of anti-Trump campaigners, accompanied by a dancing Donald mascot, gathered in downtown Vancouver Wednesday to urge American citizens to vote in next month's U.S. election.
The demonstration was held outside the controversial presidential candidate's namesake tower on West Georgia Street, where organizers set up a mobile voter registration station for expats.
There are roughly 8 million Americans living abroad, according to activist group Avaaz, but the vast majority don't vote. A recent survey suggests the reason, for many of them, is that they missed the registration deadline.
"We want to make sure they vote, and we specifically want to make sure they don't vote for [Trump]," said Joseph Huff-Hannon, a senior campaigner for Avaaz.
Voters living abroad are the "secret swing state" that could tip the scales of the November election, said the group, which hopes to inspire a million U.S. citizens in Canada to register.
Huff-Hannon said George W. Bush won Florida in the 2000 election with help from a few hundred overseas voters, so "this voting block of expats and U.S. citizens abroad could be critical."
Wednesday's demonstration was most notable for the man in an oversized, papier-mâché Trump head who danced and waved his arms atop a truck decorated in U.S. and Canadian flags.
The event was held in front of Trump International Hoten and Tower, though all Trump signage on the project has been covered up for some time.
The developer told CTV News it was covered for construction reasons, but the anti-Trump campaign organizers questioned whether there was more to it.
"I think Vancouver's like a lot of places in the world where people find what Trump says objectionable and really nasty and hateful, so it doesn't surprise me they covered up his name," Huff-Hannon said.
The Avaaz campaign is also targeting would-be voters in Mexico, the U.K., Germany, France, Israel and the Phillippines.
U.S. citizens who want to learn more about registering to vote can visit the Avaaz website.
With a report from CTV Vancouver's Shannon Paterson
