MIDNIGHT VOTERS
First result of 2024 US election declared as tiny town with unique voting tradition announces surprise outcome
The midnight voting tradition dates back to 1960
AS election day began in America, six residents of a tiny town in New Hampshire cast their vote for the country's next president - and the results are in.
At 12:10 am on Tuesday morning, officials in Dixville Notch declared an even split between Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.
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With only six voters in the remote township, each candidate took home three ballots.
On Monday evening, they gathered in Dixville's cozy Tillotson House, with a small group of press and officials in attendance.
Before locals could cast their votes, a world-renowned accordion champion played the national anthem as they held their hands over their hearts.
The town's midnight voting tradition dates all the way back to 1960 - when railroad workers had to cast their ballots before going to work early in the morning.
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Because New Hampshire polling rules state that votes can be counted once everyone has given theirs in - officials can announce the results much earlier than the rest of the country.
In the 2020 election, President Joe Biden claimed all five votes cast in the township near Canada's border with the US.
The Dixville Notch vote isn't always indicative of how the presidential race will play out, let alone how New Hampshire will ultimately vote.
During the Republican primary in January, the six residents - four registered Republicans and two independents - all voted for Nikki Haley.
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And in 2016, when seven people lived in the township, Hillary Clinton eeked out a win with four votes.
Trump won two votes and Libertarian Gary Johnson got one.
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New Hampshire ultimately went for Clinton as a whole, but Trump, of course, took the Electoral College vote and became president.
Still, the level split between Harris and Trump in their votes today is indicative of how tight the 2024 race is set to be.
While Harris claimed a small lead in the polls on Monday evening through to early Tuesday, both camps are insisting they are "feeling good" about a win.
Both spent their final campaign days in crucial battleground states including Pennsylvania and Michigan.
Harris was accompanied by a slew of celebrities who delivered their endorsements in Philadelphia, with Lady Gaga performing her song The Edge of Glory to round things off.
Trump told voters he would deliver the US to "new heights of glory" if elected - and both impressed upon their supporters how close the race was looking.
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Other communities in New Hampshire, including Hart's Location and Millfield, have carried out similar midnight voting in previous elections - but haven't this year.
Tom Tillotson, the longtime town moderator of the vote, said, "We get our 15 minutes of fame every four years."
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