First In the Nation to Vote

How and when did this midnight voting happen?

First in the nation voting began in 1948 in Hart’s Location. New Hampshire law allows towns with fewer than 100 residents to open the polls at midnight and close them as soon as all registered voters have cast their ballots. Hart’s Location is one of the few New Hampshire communities along with Dixville Notch, that met this requirement. These two have been the first to cast their votes for the primary and general election during each presidential election year. In 2020, Millsfield, New Hampshire, another northern New Hampshire community, entered the ring.

The tradition began in 1948 when the township was inhabited mostly by Maine Central Railroad workers and their families. Early voting started to accommodate the railroad workers living in town. This was the most convenient time for the best voter turnout. The midnight voting practice that began in 1952 continued until after the 1964 election when residents became tired of all the media ruckus and voted to end it. It was revived in 1996, just more than thirty years later led by the efforts of then new Notchland Inn innkeepers Les Schoof and Ed Butler. Primary and general election voting was held in voting booths set up in the Notchland Inn dining room before moving in 2008 to the town hall, once a former Appalachian Mountain Club’s hostel building.

The Hart’s Location midnight voting tradition, which began in 1948, actually predates the more widely known Dixville Notch practice; however, Dixville Notch generally receives greater publicity because Hart’s Location discontinued the practice in 1964 only to reinstate it in 1996. The Balsams gained national attention when the media searched for better communications. Facilities are limited in Hart’s Location and even today, cell service is limited. Journalists need a means to connect with their newsroom. Dixville Notch was a great solution with ample accommodations available at The Balsams along with their own phone company to solve the connection issue.

The 2020 Presidential Primary was held as usual just after midnight at the Town Hall but our traditional first in the nation voting was suspended for the 2020 General Election due to the Covid 19 pandemic. A midnight voting committee was established as the 2024 elections approached and the decision was made by the population and town officials to revert to regular polling hours.

This was an historical tradition that really put this smallest town in New Hampshire on the map attracting attention from around the world. Perhaps one day this memorable tradition will resume for future election cycles.
Take a moment to revisit past voting cycles by clicking drop down pages presenting results and photos of these historic times.

More fun facts about Hart’s Location’s status as the first town to begin midnight voting according to January, 2016 Boston Globe story –

• It is the state’s smallest town.
• Population was 12 at time of first census in 1790.
• In 2012, Mitt Romney edged out Ron Paul among GOP primary voters 5 to 4.
• In the 2012 general election, voters went for President Obama over Romney, 23 to 9.
• The town got a nod from the popular “West Wing” TV show in 2002 in an episode called “Hartsfield’s Landing”.
• A less than fun fact: A fatal landslide in 19th-century Hart’s Location was the inspiration for a story called “The Ambitious Guest” by Nathaniel Hawthorne.