The race for the leadership of the Democratic Party isn't confined to just the U.S. -- ex-patriot Democrats also voted here in Canada and around the world.
There were about 13 polling stations set up across Canada -- including in Halifax, Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Victoria -- for American citizens to vote in Tuesday's Democratic primary.
American ex-pats in the party are represented by the group Democrats Abroad. It will have 22 delegates at the party's national convention in August.
With what is turning out to be an extremely tight leadership race between Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Democratic communities in places like Canada could be pivotal this election year.
"Americans who live abroad and know two different countries, at least, and have particular issues, get to put forth candidates who would understand that," Mary Warmbrod of Democrats Abroad told CTV Winnipeg.
One American voter said she weathered Winnipeg's cold temperatures Tuesday to vote because of the historic nature of the Democratic race. Pam Stanton said the party's primary shows the culmination of efforts in the civil rights and women's liberation movements coming to fruition. Obama is trying to become the first African American to lead the Democrats, while Clinton hopes to become the party's first female leader.
In addition to voting at cafes and other polling booths set up in Canadian cities, U.S. citizens outside the U.S. could also vote for their candidate online. Party officials said they used a private company to ensure web-based voting security. In all, six million Americans living abroad were eligible to vote.
Republicans living outside the U.S. did not head to the polls like their Democratic counterparts. They didn't have online voting, either. Instead, they voted in a traditional matter by casting absentee ballots.
