Small New Hampshire town casts first ballots in US on Election Day

In the heart of northern New Hampshire, the small town of Dixville Notch kicked off the US Election Day with its traditional midnight vote early Tuesday (Nov. 5) and became the first state to cast the ballots for the 2024 US election.

At midnight, the town's six registered voters gathered at the Tillotson Room of the Balsams Resort to cast the first votes in US on Election Day.

A resident of the town talked to Reuters, saying, "I think New Hampshire is a purple state (A US state that has an equal number of supporters for both candidates), and I think it's very divided. And I think even the six of us might be divided.”

Among voters, some expressed their disappointment with the Republican nominee Donald Trump. One said, "I have been a Republican most of my life, but I find myself in conflict with the Republican Party at this time. So as an American, I pledge allegiance to the flag. I pledge allegiance to the Bill of Rights, to the Constitution, to the laws of our country."

Residents of Dixville Notch have been casting the first ballots in US presidential elections for the last 60 years.

In the 2020 election, only five residents cast their vote in this small community located in the northern White Mountains near the Canadian border.

New Hampshire state law allows towns or unincorporated communities like Dixville Notch to open their polls at midnight and close them shortly after only if they can prove that everyone who wanted to vote was able to.

This year's vote in Dixville Notch was notable, with a tie between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, each receiving three votes.

(With inputs from agencies)