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What is midnight voting in New Hampshire? Here's what you should know

Posted on by Kennedy
What is midnight voting in New Hampshire? Here's what you should know

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It's a quirky small-town tradition in New Hampshire: midnight voting.

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

The timing varies across precincts, but only one small community across the country opens its polls as soon as the clock strikes midnight and the calendar turns to Election Day.

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

About the midnight election in New Hampshire

The tradition of midnight voting began in Dixville Notch in 1960 after town anchor Neil Tillotson pushed for the New Hampshire Legislature to recognize the town as a separate voting district.

All eligible voters in Dixville Notch – there were six in total in the January 2024 primary election – will gather at the Tilloston House in Dixville at midnight on Election Day, where voting will remain open until everyone has cast their vote.

Election 2024: How New Hampshire Counts Votes

Dixville Notch isn't the only town in New Hampshire that has a tradition of midnight voting – others include Millfield and Hart's Location, which introduced the practice before Dixville in 1948. However, Dixville Notch is the only location hosting midnight voting for the 2024 general election.

USA Today's James Powel and Emily DeLetter contributed to this report.

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