Nikki Haley emerged victorious from six historic first-place votes cast in the small town of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, just after midnight on Tuesday morning.
Haley won all six of the city's electors, defeating former President Donald Trump in the blue state, where the Republican electorate is more moderate than in deep red Iowa. Four of the voters are registered Republicans and two are independents.
Dixville Notch historically produces the first results of the nation's first primary election with midnight voting on Election Day.
Polls for the first vote closed at 12:07 a.m. ET on Tuesday, Jan. 23 — and other locations in the state won't open until 6 a.m
Trump and Haley are the only Republican candidates on the ballot after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race on Sunday, just two days before the primary. Democratic Rep. Dean Phillips is also participating in the Democratic primary, which President Joe Biden did not attend.
The New Hampshire town of Dixille Notch continued its 64-year tradition Tuesday morning by holding its midnight vote, announcing the first results of the country's first primary election
Former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley won all six votes cast in Dixville Notch as of midnight Tuesday morning. Pictured: Haley speaks to supporters in Salem, New Hampshire on Monday, January 22
But New Hampshire voters also have the option to write in any candidate they want in the primary. There was a major write-in campaign by Democrats on Tuesday, asking left-leaning voters to write on President Biden's behalf.
Many Granite State voters will wake up Tuesday morning to the election results from Dixville Notch in The Balsams ski resort in northern New Hampshire, while other polling places are opening as residents head to work.
Before voting began, journalists were shown an empty ballot box, then the national anthem was played by world-famous Rhode Island accordion player Cory Pesaturo.
In the room with the voters, the reporters and the cameras were two dogs: Max and Lucy.
City Clerk Tom Tillotson moderated the election Tuesday, announcing to the press gathered in his living room that voters would also wear the hats of election officials and swap offices so they could cast their ballots.
Each of the six went behind a wall of draped American flags to vote secretly before dropping their ballot into the ballot box, which Tilloston then emptied at 12:07 a.m. to begin counting votes.
There were five electors in the 2020 general election, and they all voted for President Joe Biden, not Trump.
Just 20 miles from the Canadian border, the Balsams opened their closely monitored polling station in the living room of the Tillotson House to a room full of journalists who documented the votes of the city's few voters.
Tom Tillotson casts his ballot after voting in the New Hampshire primary shortly after midnight on Tuesday, January 23, at the Tillotson House in Dixville Notch
The vote for the town's six residents took place in the living room of the Tillotson House at The Balsams ski resort in northern New Hampshire (pictured shortly before midnight).
One of the six Dixville Notch voters cast his ballot just after midnight while his dog accompanied him to the polls in the living room of the Tillotson House at The Balsam Resort
Hart's Location and Millsfield also traditionally opened voting at midnight on Tuesday and were among the first to announce the results of the New Hampshire primary. Hart's Location, a small town in the middle of the state with 68 residents, and Millsfield, just 10 miles south of Dixville Notch with 21 registered voters, have decided to forego midnight voting this year.
In Hart's Location, which markets itself as the smallest town in New Hampshire, polls begin at 11 a.m. on Jan. 23.
Meanwhile, Millsfield elections director Shawn Cote told WMUR of the timing change: “Our population in Millsfield is getting older, and it's becoming increasingly difficult for our population to get up at midnight to vote.”
But Dixville Notch continued the 64-year tradition in the early morning hours of Tuesday, January 23rd.
Dixville Notch only has six voters this year. In 2020, five people voted in the city's primary and general elections.
Journalists gather before midnight to watch the historic count of the nation's first primary election in the tiny northern New Hampshire town of Dixville Notch
Before the pandemic, the small New Hampshire town had twice its current population, with a dozen ballots cast through 2010 and even more in previous years.
In the 2020 primary election, three of the city's candidates voted for former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, one for Senator Bernie Sanders and one for Pete Buttigieg.
In the general election, all five candidates voted for President Joe Biden and not Trump.
“As Dixville goes, so goes the country,” Dixville Notch voter Les Otten told WMUR or the results, which are observed by dozens of cameras and reported immediately.
“Even if the spotlight wasn’t there, we would do the same thing,” he added. “It’s kind of become a tradition where we understand the importance of voting.”
The Balsams Resort, where the Dixville Notch vote is held, is currently undergoing a $300 million restoration and revitalization project.
Otten says the hope is that the voting bloc in the New Hampshire city that produced the first results of the country's first primary election will grow.
“Our six this week will grow to 16, 26 and 60 etc as we grow and it will be harder to get everyone in,” he said. “But the idea will remain the same.”