Sanders, Kasich win first votes in tiny NH community

Trump falls behind, Clinton gets zero votes in nine-resident-strong Dixville as primary kicks off

DIXVILLE, New Hampshire — Bernie Sanders and John Kasich picked up the most votes as the first ballots of the first-in-the-nation primary were cast early Tuesday.

Sanders won over all four Democratic voters in the tiny town of Dixville, while Kasich sneaked past Donald Trump, 3-2, among Republicans.

Under New Hampshire state law, communities with fewer than 100 voters can get permission to open their polls at midnight and close them as soon as all registered voters have cast their ballots. While that happened in three locations, Dixville traditionally gets most of the spotlight due to its media-friendly setup at the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel.

Located about 20 miles from the Canadian border, Dixville exists as a town only for voting purposes. Almost all of its nine voters are employees of the hotel, which closed in 2011 but is currently undergoing a major overhaul under new owners.

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Former owner Neil Tillotson started the midnight voting tradition in 1960, likely at the suggestion of a news photographer looking for an advantage in getting his pictures out to newspapers ahead of his rivals. For many years, voters cast their ballots in individual booths in the hotel’s posh ballot room. Because of the renovations, the nine current residents voted in another building on the property, the Hale House.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, speaks during a campaign stop at the Franklin Pierce University Fieldhouse, Friday, Feb. 5, 2016, in Rindge, New Hampshire. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

In 2012, there was a tie for first place on the Republican side, with Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman getting two votes apiece. All three Democrats voted for Obama.

Hart’s Location, about 80 miles south of Dixville, first hosted midnight voting in 1948 but gave it up after the 1964 election when residents grew weary of the late hours and media frenzy every four years. Energized with new blood, town residents revived the tradition in 1996, and this year, the town has 41 registered voters.

Ohio Governor John Kasich announcing his 2016 presidential candidacy at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, on July 21, 2015. (Ty Wright/Getty Images/AFP)

Millsfield is also making a comeback this year, though it’s unclear just when the town last voted at midnight or when its tradition started. According to a 1952 article in Time magazine, eight residents voted at midnight during the general election that year. This year, there are 22 registered voters.