Why 100,000 people in Alberta are extra interested in Super Tuesday

With such big personalities in the game, many Canadians have been following the US federal election quite closely.

But 100,000 Albertans have a vested interest in how this story plays out.

Alberta is home to more Americans than any other province in our country. There are 50,000 Americans who live abroad in Calgary alone, and many of them are planning to vote in the upcoming state primaries.

“Calgary is the biggest American city outside of the United States,” Norman Leach, spokesperson for the Americas in Canada.

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Leach believes this election should be important to all Canadians.

“It’s simple. Eighty per cent of our trade is with the United States. Almost a billion dollars a day goes back and forth across the border. Who sits in the president’s seat matters to Canadians and we should be paying attention too.”

READ MORE: Why Super Tuesday is such a big deal

Both the Democratic and Republican parties have organized groups in Calgary, and they have both confirmed that the interest in this year’s election is bigger than ever.

“We believe there’s a lot at stake,” Jim Davis, Calgary chapter chair of Democrats Abroad said. “That’s why we’re seeing a lot of energy from Democrats and folks getting passionate about it.”

Roy Berg, a US tax lawyer practicing in Alberta, believes that part of the interest in this election stems from who the candidates are.

“It’s nothing like we’ve ever seen before. Donald Trump is a very charismatic person and I think we’re all waiting to hear and waiting to see what he does next.”

Democrats Abroad is meeting Tuesday night to watch the results. Party members are also allowed to vote on their state primaries.

The Republicans do not have a similar process and do not have anything organized for Tuesday evening.

Eligible Americans are allowed to vote in their parties’ primaries either by mail, fax or email.

With files from Tony Tighe