Dixville Notch, New Hampshire: Harris and Trump tie in midnight vote to kick off Election Day

CNN reported that Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump tied with three votes each in the tiny New Hampshire township of Dixville Notch, marking the beginning of Election Day in one of the first places in the country to report its presidential preference.

Dixville Notch, an unincorporated township located along the US-Canada border in New Hampshire’s northern tip, has a tradition dating back to 1960 where the poll opens and closes just after midnight ET. This year, four Republicans and two undeclared voters participated in the voting process.

While Dixville Notch’s results may not always be predictive of the eventual winner, the annual tradition is a success story for local leaders and a source of excitement for political enthusiasts looking for an early glimpse of the day’s events.

According to tradition, all eligible voters gather at the now-dormant Balsams Hotel in Dixville Notch to cast their secret ballots once polls open at midnight. The votes are then tallied, and the results are announced – hours before anywhere else in the country. This unique tradition attracts national reporters who often outnumber the voters.

Les Otten, a voter in the township and lead developer for the Balsams, described the early release of results as a “civics lesson for the country,” emphasizing the importance of voting as a fundamental right of American citizenship. He also mentioned plans to break ground on a redevelopment project next summer.

Nearby Millsfield and Hart’s Location, which also offered midnight voting in the past, did not participate this year. However, these three neighboring townships were featured in an episode of Aaron Sorkin’s “West Wing” called “Hartsfield’s Landing.”

Dixville Notch has a history of supporting Democratic nominees in recent elections. In 2020, the township unanimously voted for President Joe Biden, while in 2016, Hillary Clinton won four out of seven votes, with two going to Trump and one to Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson.

During the GOP primary in January, four registered Republican voters and two independents unanimously voted for former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. One voter, 75-year-old Otten, a lifelong Republican, expressed his support for Vice President Kamala Harris, criticizing Trump for promoting allegiance to himself rather than to the country.

In addition to the presidential race, Dixville Notch voters also participated in the highly contested governor’s race between former one-term Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte and Democratic nominee Joyce Craig, the former mayor of Manchester, to succeed retiring Republican Gov. Chris Sununu.

CNN’s Gary Tuchman, Eva McKend, Ethan Cohen, Molly English, Gregory Krieg, and Eric Bradner contributed to this report.