In a tradition that kicks off Election Day in the U.S., Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump each received three votes in Dixville Notch, a small township along the U.S.-Canada border in northern New Hampshire. This tiny community, one of the first places in the country to report its presidential preferences, opened and closed its polls just after midnight ET, a practice it has maintained since 1960. Four Republicans and two undeclared voters participated in the vote.
Dixville Notch’s early voting results may not always predict the ultimate national winner—or even the state’s choice—but the midnight gathering remains a symbolic event for local leaders and a point of interest for political enthusiasts nationwide.
By tradition, all eligible voters in the township cast their ballots at the now-closed Balsams Hotel. Once all votes are in, results are immediately tallied and announced to awaiting media, who often outnumber the voters.
Les Otten, a Dixville Notch voter and lead developer of the Balsams, described the tradition as “a civics lesson for the country,” saying, “If we can help people understand that voting is an important part of their rights as American citizens, that’s a key reason for what we’re doing.” Otten expects to begin redevelopment of the Balsams next summer, but for now, he says, “as long as we’re here and we’re property owners with our toothbrush in our bathrooms, we might as well exercise our right to vote.”
Dixville Notch has backed the Democratic nominee in the past two elections, with the township in 2020 unanimously casting its votes for President Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton winning the majority of votes in 2016.
In addition to the presidential vote, the Dixville Notch voters cast ballots in New Hampshire’s competitive governor’s race between former one-term Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Democratic nominee Joyce Craig, the former mayor of Manchester, who are competing to succeed retiring Republican Governor Chris Sununu.
Nearby communities Millsfield and Hart’s Location, also known for midnight voting, did not participate this year, though they have historically joined Dixville Notch in offering early results. The tradition even inspired a fictionalized portrayal in the “West Wing” episode “Hartsfield’s Landing.”