In a tradition dating back to 1960, the tiny New Hampshire hamlet of Dixville Notch opened Election Day just past midnight, casting six votes in the 2024 presidential race – splitting evenly between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, three votes each. The result marks Trump’s best performance in Dixville Notch, as he previously received only two votes in 2016, losing narrowly to Hillary Clinton, and garnered no support in 2020 when all six votes went to President Joe Biden.
This small town’s vote often draws significant attention as the nation’s first reported election results, though it is not seen as predictive. Local town moderator Tom Tillotson commented, “Dixville Notch is following the national trend,” referencing the tight polling margins seen nationwide, with most swing state races too close to call and often falling within two points according to RealClearPolitics.
Dixville Notch also cast ballots for New Hampshire’s gubernatorial race, favoring Republican candidate Kelly Ayotte with five votes over Democrat Joyce Craig’s one, underscoring the small community’s conservative lean.
In recent years, Dixville Notch’s midnight voting tradition has scaled back, with fewer reporters gathering since the 2011 closure of the town’s famed Balsams Hotel. Les Otton, a Dixville Notch resident and the lead developer on efforts to reopen the Balsams, shared the spirit behind the midnight ballot. “If we can help people understand that voting is an important part of their right as American citizens, that’s perhaps the key to what we’re doing,” Otton remarked, reflecting on the long-standing community practice.
This year, Dixville Notch stood alone in New Hampshire for its midnight voting, keeping alive the unique tradition and serving as a symbolic start to the 2024 election results.