You could just give Hillary Clinton the presidency, well, if Burnaby residents could actually take part in the U.S. election.
After nearly two months, and with just days left before the real thing, a poll in front of Jennifer April’s Burnaby home shows this part of Canada is clearly With Her.
The unscientific poll has Clinton ahead of Republican nominee Donald Trump by about a five-to-three margin, with more than 300 votes cast, which likely isn’t a November surprise to many.
“People are still voting,” April told the NOW. “Daytime, nighttime, I think a lot of people come at nighttime because they don’t want their ballot to be seen, who they’re voting for.”
April, who is American, was on a trip to her native Delaware with her Canadian husband in late August when they got the idea for the mock ballot and picked up some election signs along the way.
The NOW featured the couple’s effort in September.
What started out as a bit of a joke has grown into something the couple never expected. Besides their story being picked up by other media outlets, including the Washington Post, it’s also supplied April with a bushel of stories for years to come.
She said people from all over the region have stopped by to vote. In some cases, she’s had the opportunity to chat, other times she lets people quietly exercise their franchise.
But one exchange stood out in particular.
One day, April got a knock on the door from a Vietnam vet from San Francisco. His mother lived in the area and had a copy of theNOW story.
“He was proud, he knocked on my door, and said ‘I just want to tell you I came all the way from San Francisco to cast my ballot,’ and he voted for Trump,” she said. “Wow, you came all the way from San Francisco?”
The mock vote also provides April with a little bit of insight in the minds of voters, at least in Canada.
She suggested it’s mostly women voting for Clinton. Meanwhile, 14 votes for Harambe, the gorilla killed at the Cincinnati zoo earlier this year, might be a sign of what some people think of both candidates. That was the intention all along, April said.
“We truly cared about what Canadians feel, because we know that it’s like a roller coaster. It’s (the election) going to impact up here in Canada no matter what,” she said.
And despite the contentiousness of the election south of the border, the political signs and ballot boards have remained intact throughout the campaign. The plan is to keep the ballot up right until the big vote Tuesday, and keep the winner’s sign up afterwards.
Meanwhile, April had a chance recently to vote for real. Undecided when the NOW caught up with her in September, she made up her mind. And while she played coy about her choice, she said she was wearing a Clinton wig on Halloween.
“It’s getting closer and closer and I’m really watching this election,” she said.
On election night, April and her husband intend to watch the results at a private party in Vancouver.
