U.S. election brings together international crowd at local watch party

Being able to watch the American election from a bar in Halifax was a ‘privilege’ for American Nolan Blair.

“It is a privilege to be here when things go back and forth. Not everybody gets to, like, run away,” said Blair.

Nolan and Chloe Blair are two of roughly 30 people who watched the U.S. presidential election unfold at Good Robot Brewing in Halifax on Tuesday night. The watch party was attended by people from numerous countries, including Denmark, Switzerland, Ecuador and various parts of Canada.

Unlike the other watch-partygoers at the Robie Street venue, the Blairs were able to participate in the election themselves, voting by mail.

The Blairs are both American citizens. Having lived in Oregon throughout COVID and a Donald Trump presidency, they both said they felt glad they were able to watch this election unfold from the other side of the border.

Chloe Blair described some of the anxieties she experienced living in the U.S., particularly around gun control. She said she started having to think through where to hide in public spaces such as the grocery store after hearing about shootings in those spaces elsewhere in the country.

International attention

While the Blairs have personal experience with the U.S. political system, other non-Americans in attendance at the watch party also said they would be directly affected by the results of the night.

At the height of the watch party, the election results were still unfolding.

Asta Olsen, from Copenhagen, Denmark, said she believed the U.S. election results would have a “big impact on Europe as well.”

“I feel like if Trump gets elected, we would feel less secure [with] the whole Russia conflict thing right now,” she said.

Clara Kretschmar is from Switzerland and studies international relations and organizations at Dalhousie University. She said the U.S. president has an impact on European economics, stability and their partnership with the United States.

“The EU has a very tight relationship with the U.S.,” said Kretschmar.

While Kretschmar and Olsen agree the U.S. presidential election affects people beyond American borders, both also said that what drew them to a bar to watch the events of the night unfold was the air of drama that surrounded the American political sphere. Neither of them had ever attended a watch party for an election within their own country.

“I feel like we could have watch parties for the U.S. elections in Denmark as well, but I’ve never heard about a watch party for a Danish election,” said Olsen.

A fascination with the drama of American politics was also what lured other attendees such as Ontarian Trae Watts, who watched the results come in with intrigue, but with little personal concern.

“This is more entertainment than anything because it’s American politics. At the end of the day, it’s not going to affect me in my day-to-day life,” said Watts.

The seats in the watch party room were nearly all taken by 10 p.m. and the air was filled with lively conversation. CNN and CBC coverage of the election night were projected side-by-side on the back wall of the stage at the front of the room, behind a wide archway framed on either side by red curtains.

Brett Braaten is the creative director for Good Robot Brewing and organized the event. He believes that bars have a role to play in the functioning of a democratic society.

“Historically, public houses and bars are places where people would come and share, or disagree with, each other’s political beliefs,” said Braaten. “And like, that’s I think how a democracy works.”