New Hampshire's Dixville Notch delivers first election results in Trump-Harris showdown

Dixville Notch, New Hampshire - Voters in the New Hampshire hamlet of Dixville Notch launched Election Day in the first minutes of Tuesday with a tied vote, mirroring the incredibly close national polls in the White House race.

Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump split the vote in the New Hampshire hamlet of Dixville Notch.
Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump split the vote in the New Hampshire hamlet of Dixville Notch.  © REUTERS

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump each got three ballots in the tiny community, which for decades has kicked off Election Day at the stroke of midnight – hours before the rest of the country's polling stations open.

The two rivals have been battling in a tense and exceptionally close race, with opinion polls largely tied.

To a gathered crowd of journalists, the vote opened with a rendition of the US national anthem performed on an accordion.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump go toe to toe in frenzied final campaign weekend
Kamala Harris Kamala Harris and Donald Trump go toe to toe in frenzied final campaign weekend

Electoral laws in New Hampshire allow municipalities with fewer than 100 residents to open their polling stations at midnight and to close them when all registered voters have cast their ballots.

Dixville Notch's residents voted unanimously for Joe Biden in 2020, reportedly only the second presidential hopeful to get all the votes since the midnight voting tradition began in 1960.

Most polling stations on the East Coast will open at 6:00 or 7:00 AM ET on Tuesday.

Dixville Notch voters handed a surprise unanimous victory to Republican White House hopeful Nikki Haley in New Hampshire's primary in January.

Haley ultimately quit the race due to an insurmountable Trump lead,- but Tuesday's vote shows that three voters opted not to back the ex-president in the general election.

Cover photo: REUTERS

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