You might be wondering, “Have I missed the vote?” Don’t worry, the majority of polling stations across the United States have not yet opened.
However, things operate differently in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, an unincorporated community located about 40 minutes from the Canadian border.
This small community of just six residents offers an early glimpse into the election, with the early results showing a tie between Democrat and current Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican former President Donald Trump.
After all six voters cast their ballots shortly after midnight, Dixville Notch announced the first results of the 2024 presidential election. This tradition has been part of the community since 1960.
For the next few hours, Dixville Notch will be the only place with results to share.
Each year, the community’s eligible voters head to the vacant Balsams Hotel to vote. Like other polling stations nationwide, their votes remain confidential.
The ballots are counted, and the results are announced, often with more journalists present than voters.
In a conversation with CNN, Les Otten from the town described the early announcement as “A civics lesson for the country.”
“If we can help people get out and understand that voting is an important part of their right as an American citizen, that’s perhaps the key to what we’re doing,” he mentioned.
He further stated, “As long as we’re here and we’re property owners and we have, you know, our toothbrush in our bathrooms, we might as well exercise our right to vote.”
This election marks a rare split among Dixville Notch voters, as the past two elections saw them leaning towards the Democratic candidate.
In 2020, all five votes went to President Joe Biden, and four years prior, Hillary Clinton received four of the seven votes, with two going to Trump and one to Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson.
Otten revealed that he has been a Republican since he was seven, yet he chose not to vote for Trump. Instead, he told the media outlet that he voted for Harris.
The 75-year-old expressed, “Nowhere in the Pledge of Allegiance does it say anything about pledging your allegiance to a person.”
“And I think at the end of the day, Trump has made it clear that you need to pledge allegiance to him, and he alone can fix this – and that is as anti-democratic as I can understand,” he added.