Dixville Notch: First US election result in tiny town is 3-3 tie
Dixville Notch, with just six residents, starts Election Day in the U.S. with a midnight vote that ends in a tie.
The first outcome of the 2024 US presidential election has been announced from a small community with just six inhabitants. Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump received an equal number of three votes.
For over sixty years, the people of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, have participated in a longstanding custom of voting right at midnight (05:00 GMT).
The isolated, unincorporated vacation spot set up its polling place several hours earlier than the majority of the nation and reported its results just 15 minutes afterward.
The tie was appropriate for such a competitive race, where narrow polling differences have created uncertainty about which candidate is truly in the lead.
A group of reporters observed as the community began its election day activities, accompanied by the sound of the US national anthem being played on an accordion.
Les Otten, a Republican voter, chose to vote for a Democrat for the very first time.
He mentioned that he supported Harris because she offered commitment to her supporters, while Trump seemed to want their allegiance. In an interview with the BBC World Service, he expressed his belief that this mindset was not the best approach.
"If the elected individual sees that everyone has a voice and can contribute to how the government is shaped, that changes everything compared to them telling us, 'You must do what I say.'"
The six people living in Dixville Notch voted shortly after midnight.
There were three votes in favor of Kamala Harris and three for Donald Trump.
Another voter described New Hampshire as a "purple state," highlighting its significant political division.
In the meantime, the town elected a Republican governor with a vote of five to one, while they chose a Democratic congresswoman with a four to two vote.
In 2020, every resident in the town cast their vote for Joe Biden, which is said to make him just the second candidate for president to receive complete backing from the community since 1960.
The town also took part in the voting to choose the Republican candidate for president this year, and they all backed Nikki Haley.
