Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have each received three votes in the small township of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, marking the start of Election Day in one of the earliest places in the U.S. to announce its presidential preference.
Situated near the U.S.-Canada border in New Hampshire’s northern tip, Dixville Notch continued its longstanding tradition by opening and closing its polls just after midnight ET, a practice dating back to 1960.
The vote included four Republicans and two undeclared voters.
Though Dixville Notch’s results are not always a predictor of the state or national outcome, its midnight vote has become a symbolic early marker for the nation.
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Despite its small population, the town’s commitment to the tradition is celebrated by local leaders and political enthusiasts alike.
In keeping with tradition, voters gather at the now-closed Balsams Hotel to cast their secret ballots at midnight.
Once voting is complete, the ballots are tallied and the results announced, drawing national reporters who often outnumber the township’s voters.
Les Otten, a Dixville Notch voter and the lead developer of the Balsams, described the early vote as “a civics lesson for the country.” He added, “If we can encourage people to understand voting as an essential right, that’s what this is all about.”
Otten also mentioned that he plans to begin redevelopment on the Balsams project next summer. Until then, he said, “as long as we’re here, we’re proud to exercise our right to vote.”
Nearby Millsfield and Hart’s Location, once known for their own midnight voting traditions, are not participating this year.
A fictionalized version of these towns was depicted in an episode of The West Wing called “Hartsfield’s Landing.”
In recent years, Dixville Notch has leaned Democratic, with the township casting all five votes for Joe Biden in 2020 and a majority for Hillary Clinton in 2016.
In January’s GOP primary, the township’s Republican voters unanimously supported Nikki Haley.
Seventy-five-year-old Otten, a lifelong Republican, shared with CNN that he voted for Harris. He explained his choice by saying, “The Pledge of Allegiance speaks to allegiance to the country, not to a person.
Trump’s call for loyalty to himself alone goes against everything I understand about democracy.”
Dixville Notch voters also cast ballots in the highly competitive New Hampshire governor’s race, where former Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte is up against Democratic nominee Joyce Craig, the former mayor of Manchester, to succeed retiring Republican Governor Chris Sununu.
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