Thread by @joannachiu

THREAD: Many Canadians grieved #RBG's passing, and I wondered if some are so engaged with U.S. politics that they are volunteering.

I found out that there could be "unprecedented" levels of Canadian engagement in #US2020 elections this year. thestar.com/news/canada/20… @TorontoStar

U.S. law allows foreign nationals to do most routine volunteer work, such as phone canvassing and door-knocking. But experts say there are still questions of undue foreign influence and ethical concerns: thestar.com/news/canada/20…

This is Canadian software engineer Ravi Jagannadhan. When he moved to the U.S. in 2005, he had no intention to stay.

But @BarackObama inspired him, and he faced no problems as a foreigner on a work visa to go into his local campaign office to volunteer. thestar.com/news/canada/20…

In the virtual campaign office for Joe #Biden and Kamala Harris, tens of thousands of volunteers give each other updates on Slack.

This Monday, Ravi posted: “Finished calls for now. 18 calls, 6 Biden (3 have already voted), 2 Trump, rest were hangups.” thestar.com/news/canada/20…

Ravi is now an American and Canadian dual citizen.

But here in Canada, Democrats Abroad Canada says they are getting "daily" offers of help from Canadians across the country. This is what the volunteers are working on: thestar.com/news/canada/20…

“We’re quite aware of the perception of foreign influence, so we try to be extremely careful and fall on the cautious side in terms of involvement to make sure it’s all appropriate,” said a spokesperson for Democrats Abroad Canada. thestar.com/news/canada/20…

If Barry Shecter could vote for his choice of U.S. president, he would “do so in a heartbeat.”

“Clearly in my mind, the U.S. is heading to an authoritarian government,” said Shecter, who put up these posters around his downtown Toronto neighbourhood. thestar.com/news/canada/20…

I tried to find Republican Party volunteers in Canada, but most were rooting for #BidenHarris. As @thekeenanwire reported, most Canadians really dislike #Trump: thestar.com/news/world/202…

But experts say there are "pockets" of Canada where #Trump is very popular. I spoke with Peter Downing, founder of Alberta's #Wexit movement, whose new foundation recently put up this billboard:

"Should Alberta join the USA?" thestar.com/news/canada/20… @TorontoStar #cdnpoli

... I didn't recognize Downing's face on the billboard and had this awkward text exchange with him about it.

"Sorry, who's the man on the left? I'm not very familiar."

"Me." thestar.com/news/canada/20…

Canada and US laws are permissive when it comes to foreigners volunteering.

"What if Americans who weren’t living here were making calls around the country in support of a certain Canadian party?"

Poli-sci prof @StewartPrest on the ethical quandaries: thestar.com/news/canada/20…

What do you think? Would it be a problem if many Canadians volunteered in the US elections to encourage people to vote--or even in support of a certain candidate? Most Canadians support Biden over Trump.

thestar.com/news/canada/20… @TorontoStar #cdnpoli @JoeBiden @realDonaldTrump

The arguments go both ways:

1) It is immoral to do something that we would be uncomfortable seeing done in our country.

2) Canadians have a moral obligation to prevent another four years of #Trump, and what happens in the US affects the world. thestar.com/news/canada/20…

Here are the U.S. election rules on the permitted roles of foreign nationals. HT to @DariusLongarino who flagged that foreigners can actually do quite a bit of routine volunteering. fec.gov/regulations/11…

While the debate is open on whether it's appropriate for foreigners to volunteer in phone banking, many Canadian volunteers simply speak with Americans and dual citizens in their communities to remind them to vote from abroad. thestar.com/news/canada/20…

There were over 620,000 Americans living in Canada in 2016, and among this number only 5.3 per cent cast a ballot in the previous U.S. election, according to American federal data. This reflects a huge opportunity for voter growth. thestar.com/news/canada/20…

The way Ravi sees it, his volunteer work is an intrinsic part of being a Canadian.

“As Canadians we’re taught to look out for our neighbours after all.” thestar.com/news/canada/20… @TorontoStar #cdnpoli #US2020

Really interested in hearing from Americans and others on what you think. Are Canadians who volunteer in election campaigns "hostile foreign forces," or is it pretty innocuous? thestar.com/news/canada/20…