Why does Dixville Notch vote at midnight? It's a decades-old tradition that has stuck

Dixville Notch, a small New Hampshire north country town, cast the first votes in the US presidential election at midnight. It has only six registered voters, and the results indicate what has been anticipated on alarge scale once voting ends in the country - a split verdict.

Three votes each went to Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.

Hart's Location and Millsfield are the two other towns that normally vote at midnight. However, this year they have decided to join others and hold a daytime vote.

The tradition of opening polling at midnight in Dixville Notch and the other two towns goes decades back. It is the first to start voting and announce its results.

The midnight voting is believed to have originated as a way to let railway workers cast their votes, as per the Associated Press. Their work did not let them participate in the electoral process during normal day hours. So,polling was thrown open at midnight for them.

The practice reportedly started in 1948 in Hart's Location, while Dixville Notch has been following it since the 1960 presidential election.

Dixville Notch is the only town to vote at midnight this year

The town's moderator, Neil Tillotson is the one who brought the practice to Dixville Notch. He bought a hotel in the town and named it The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel. He learned about the practice of midnight polling from a reporter and worked to bring it to Dixville Notch.

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Since then, the practice has become an integral part of the political fabric of the town, with reporters reaching The Balsams for the midnight vote. The entire process takes merely minutes from start to finish. The ballots this year were cast in the living room of the resort's Tillotson House.

It also voted at midnight in this year's presidential primaries that were held in January.

While the state kicks off things, offering a peek into what to expect later, it has often seen things turn around drastically. In the Republican primaries, all six registered voters cast their ballots for Republican Nikki Haley.

Despite a clean sweep, Donald Trump went on to win the state and emerge winner in the Republican race.