DIXVILLE NOTCH, NH – As has been a tradition in New Hampshire for decades, voters in the small resort town of Dixville Notch kicked off Election Day at the stroke of midnight.
Dixville Notch Mood
In a presidential election that couldn’t get any closer, it seemed fitting that the first votes cast on Election Day were evenly split, with three for Donald Trump and three for Kamala Harris.
The Dixville Notch vote is a tradition dating back to 1960, the first in the country to vote in person in every election. After a stirring accordion version of the national anthem, the city’s six voters began casting their ballots at the stroke of midnight. Fifteen minutes later the counting of votes was completed.
Leslie Otten cast his vote for Harris, the Democratic candidate.
‘It came down to a simple matter of loyalty. Harris is willing to give me hers. Trump wanted mine. To me that’s retarded. A president is supposed to be loyal to the people. People are loyal to a king or a dictator. But the president works for the people,” Otten said.
Valerie Maxwell voted for Trump, the Republican candidate.
“I voted for him because of the policy. Those are the ones that align with my beliefs. So it wasn’t necessarily voting for the man, it was voting for the policy,” she said.
New Hampshire Governor’s Race
Dixville Notch voters also cast their ballots in the controversial one race for governor of New Hampshire.
Five people voted for Republican Kelly Ayotte, while one voted for Democrat Joyce Craig.
The winner of that race will become the third female governor in New Hampshire history. Current New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu is not seeking another term.
