New Hampshire village bordering Quebec to continue tradition of midnight voting
The tiny village of Dixville Notch is once again planning on being the first municipality to vote in the state's primary election on Tuesday.
It's the township's claim to fame: since 1960, the entire population of the village has met at the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel to vote in unison at midnight.
Dozens of spectators
This year, the town has once again rolled out the red carpet. Boy Scouts are parading through the old Balsams hotel before the vote, and they're also holding a mock vote slightly before midnight.
Dozens of spectators are also expected, and 60 members of the media – more than six times the population of Dixville Notch – are accredited to watch the voting.
At midnight, all the voters will descend into voter booths decorated with American flags. They'll vote in unison. In the past, the whole poll has voted in less than one minute.
In New Hampshire, once every eligible voter has voted, the results of the poll can be announced. As such, the results from Dixville Notch are released almost a full day ahead of the rest of the state — making it a mainstay for campaigns hoping to gain some momentum going into voting day.
'A point of pride'
It became such a mainstay in American politics that it was the focus of an episode of The West Wing.
"Absolutely it's a point of pride," said Scott Tranchemontagne, spokesman for the Balsams resort.
But in 2011, the Balsams closed for renovations. It hasn't reopened since, and when jobs dried up, so did the population.
Nine people voted in the last primary.
This year, the same number of people are registered.
It's a significant decrease from 15 years ago. In 2000, 27 people voted. Earning their highly-publicized votes was enough incentive for presidential campaigns to make a stop in the tiny area.
But in the 2012 election, that didn't happen. This year, only Republican candidate John Kasich tried to woo Dixville Notch voters.
New competition
This year, for the first time, Dixville Notch could lose its title as the first voters in New Hampshire.
Two other towns are also voting at midnight: Millsfield with a population of 29, and Hart's Location with a population of 42.
But Tranchemontagne denies harbouring any hard feelings against the other townships.
"There's absolutely no competition whatsoever. We wish all towns could get 100 per cent turnout and vote at midnight," he said.
