How can Dixville Notch guarantee that all voters will be present and accounted for at the stroke of midnight? Well, for starters, there are only 26 of them. More importantly, Dixville Notch's status as the "First in the Nation" to voice its preference for a presidential candidate in both the primary and the general election has been a cherished community tradition since 1960.
The Granite State has always embraced the democratic process. Since 1920, New Hampshire has been first to hold its presidential primary, and the results of that vote often speak volumes in terms of which candidates will prove viable contenders. In the 2000 presidential primary, 85 percent of New Hampshire's registered Republicans and 74 percent of registered Democrats voted. That turnout rate is about 50 percent higher than the national average.
Dixville Notch, of course, takes the seriousness of its place in presidential politics to unparalleled heights. Voting takes place inside the "Ballot Room" at The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, a storied property that occupies 15,000 acres within the 31,000-acre unincorporated township of Dixville, which is situated way up north in New Hampshire's Great North Woods. The Balsams alone is larger than the island of Manhattan--which is 390 miles away.
Though Dixville Notch and its handful of voters lie quite a distance off the beaten campaign path, every U.S. president since Dwight D. Eisenhower has made the journey to Dixville Notch at one point or another to court their favor. One of the reasons presidential hopefuls take this pocketful of potential supporters seriously is that the media also makes a habit of trekking to the Notch to cover the nation's first primary and presidential election returns.
The Ballot Room at The Balsams is bedecked with campaign memorabilia left behind by those who have come, schmoozed and in some cases, gone on to become leader of the free world. There are also plentiful relics of campaigns that went afoul or never even got off the ground.
Whether or not you are a guest of the resort, the Ballot Room is open to visitors who wish to explore its intriguing collection of artifacts, photographs and news clippings from campaigns past. For more information, call The Balsams at (603) 255-3400, or for hotel reservations, call toll free, 800 255-0600.
Once they've voiced their opinions in the primary, Dixville Notch voters have more than nine months to rest up for their next midnight date with destiny--November 4, 2004-Election Day.
