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What is midnight voting in New Hampshire? Here’s what you need to know
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What is midnight voting in New Hampshire? Here’s what you need to know

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It’s a quirky tradition in a small town in New Hampshire: the midnight mood.

Election Day in America is marked by the opening of polls across the country, with polls open from 5 a.m. EST in Vermont until as late as 1 a.m. EST the next day in Alaska.

The timing varies across voting precincts, but only one small community across the country will open its polls once the clock strikes midnight and the calendar turns to Election Day.

Dixville Notch, a remote unincorporated township in New Hampshire’s Great North Woods region, will open their polling place at midnight and keep it open until “all have votes,” according to the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s website.

About the midnight vote in New Hampshire

The tradition of midnight voting began in Dixville Notch in 1960 after town moderator Neil Tillotson campaigned for the New Hampshire Legislature to recognize the town as a polling place in its own right.

All eligible voters in Dixville Notch – a total of six during the January 2024 primary – will meet at midnight on Election Day at the Tilloston House in Dixville, where voting will remain open until everyone has cast their ballot.

Dixville Notch isn’t the only New Hampshire town with a tradition of midnight voting – others include Millfield and Hart’s Location, which began the practice before Dixville in 1948. However, Dixville Notch is the only place with midnight voting for the 2024 general elections.

USA Today’s James Powell and Emily DeLetter contributed to this report.