Just under two-thirds of readers said Canadians who are living abroad for the long term shouldn't vote - even if they legally can.
The question has some things in common with one kicked around by Kwame Anthony Appiah, the New York Times ethics columnist, last week. Appiah came down sort of in the middle, but readers had sharply defined views on both sides. (The Canadian situation has similarities to the U.S. one, but also differences, in that U.S. citizens abroad must file tax returns and in some situations register for the draft.)
Canadian expats used to lose their voting rights after five years abroad, but that limitation ended after a 2019 Supreme Court decision.
In an online poll this week, Village Media readers mostly held that whether or not long-term expats were legally allowed to vote, they shouldn't.
Some 4,859 of you voted.
Readers voting from outside the country were more tolerant of expats voting:
As were those under 50:
And those with university degrees:
Almost uniquely for our polls, there was no gender difference:
And no regional difference that's all that easy to interpret:
