Dixville Notch: The small New Hampshire town of SIX PEOPLE kicks off the state’s primaries by casting their ballots Tuesday morning at 12:01 a.m.
- Dixville Notch is located just 20 miles from the Canadian border and has a population of six
- The small ski resort town has historically been the first to produce results in the primaries
- Results will be known in minutes, with polls opening statewide later in the day
The New Hampshire town of Dixville Notch has historically been the first town to post results in the state’s first primary elections each presidential campaign cycle – and this year is no different.
The six residents of the small town in northern New Hampshire give a first look at how the state’s Live Free or Dies will play out in the primaries.
Just 20 miles from the Canadian border, the ski resort of Balsams opens its closely watched polling station at midnight on primary election day to a room full of journalists documenting the votes of the town’s handful of voters. The results are known minutes later.
The small town of Dixville Notch in northern New Hampshire will continue its 64-year tradition on Tuesday morning, January 23, by opening its polling place at midnight for the nation’s first primary election. Pictured: Poll workers count votes during the February 11, 2020 primary election
Voting for the six electors of Disxille Notch will be held at the Balsams Ski Area on Tuesday. The resort is undergoing a $300 million renovation. Pictured: The Hale House at Balsams resort, where voting takes place at midnight in 2020
Hart’s Location and Millsfield have also historically been open for voting at midnight on Tuesday and were among the first to announce the results of the New Hampshire primary. Hart’s Location, a small town in the middle of the state with a population of 68, and Millsfield, just 10 miles south of Dixville Notch, with 21 registered voters, have decided to abandon their midnight voting this year.
In Hart’s Location, which markets itself as New Hampshire’s smallest town, polls open at 11 a.m. on Jan. 23.
Meanwhile, Millsfield elections official Shawn Cote told WMUR of the change over time: ‘Our population is getting older in Millsfield, and getting up at midnight to vote is becoming increasingly difficult for our population.
But Dixville Notch will continue the 64-year tradition.
Dixville Notch has only six voters this year. In 2020, five people voted in the city’s primary and general elections.
Before the pandemic, the small New Hampshire town had double the population it has today, with a dozen ballots from 2010 and even more in previous years.
In the 2020 primaries, three candidates in the city voted for former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one for Senator Bernie Sanders and one for Pete Buttigieg.
In the general election, all five candidates voted for President Joe Biden over Trump.
A man counts all five votes in Dixville Notch in the 2020 general election for Joe Biden
A dozen voters prepare to cast their ballots at voting booths at midnight on November 6, 2012 in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire. Since then, the electorate in the New Hampshire city has been halved
The first ballot of the 2000 New Hampshire primary was cast in Dixville Notch on February 1, 2000 among the 28 registered voters at the time of that election.
“As Dixville goes, so goes the country,” Dixville Notch voter Les Otten told WMUR of the results being watched by dozens of cameras and reported immediately.
“Even if the spotlight wasn’t there, we would do the same thing,” he added. “It’s become kind of a tradition where we understand the importance of voting.”
The Balsams resort where the Dixville Notch voting takes place is undergoing a $300 million restoration and revitalization project.
Otten says the hope is that the voting bloc in the New Hampshire city, which produced the early results of the nation’s first primary, will grow.
“Our six will grow to 16, 26, 60 and so on this week as we grow, and it will be harder to get everyone in,” he said. ‘But the idea remains the same.’
During the 2020 primaries, three people voted for Michael Bloomberg, one for Pete Buttigieg and one for Senator Bernie Sanders
