Dixville Notch: A Surprising Tie in the First Election Results

In a small village called Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, the first votes for the 2024 US presidential election ended in a surprising tie. The results showed three votes for Vice President Kamala Harris and three votes for former President Donald Trump. This small village is known for voting at midnight on election day.

Counting the votes took about 12 minutes for the six people who live there. This special tradition has been happening for a long time. Last time, all five votes in Dixville Notch went to Joe Biden, which shows a big change this time.

Dixville Notch is located in the beautiful White Mountains, near the Canadian border. The village began its early voting tradition in 1960. This tradition started in a nearby town called Hart’s Location. There, they wanted to help rail workers vote before they started their jobs. This was a great way to make sure everyone could join in the elections.

The results from Dixville Notch do not always guess who will win, but they often show how voters are feeling. For example, in 2016, Hillary Clinton won in Dixville Notch but lost the overall election to Donald Trump. This year, the tie matches what many polls say: a very close race and people having different opinions.

Tom Tillotson, a 79-year-old resident, shared his thoughts with the New York Times. He said, “This feels about normal.” His father started the early voting at his hotel, Balsams Grand Resort, back in 1960. His father got attention by letting reporters use the hotel’s phones to share the vote counts before anyone else did.

All six voters this year live in the old hotel. One voter, Scott Maxwell, was surprised by the tie. He said, “I didn’t see that coming.” He also mentioned that he was shocked by his own vote for Trump. This shows how people’s opinions can change and how elections can be surprising.

Les Otten, another voter, spoke to CNN about why early voting is important. He said that sharing the results quickly serves as “a civics lesson for the country.” He believes that helping people understand voting is very important. “Voting is a key part of being an American citizen,” he added.

The close results from Dixville Notch show a bigger trend in the United States. Many people have different opinions, making this election one of the most exciting and competitive in recent history. As the election date gets closer, everyone will watch how these early results affect the overall voting.