USA: Dixville Notch Primary Results: First Votes Cast In New Hampshire Election

Residents in the small town of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire were the first to cast ballots in the state’s presidential primary election just after midnight on Tuesday.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman each won 2 votes of the 9 cast in the contest. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) each received 1 vote. Three Democratic ballots were cast for President Barack Obama.

According to the Associated Press, the group of 9 registered voters in Dixville Notch comprised three Republicans, two Democrats and four undeclared voters.

Dixville Notch has voted first in the state’s primary election since 1960. Town clerk Rick Erwin told Granite State-based station WMUR ahead of the contest, “It’s great that they respect the tradition.”

Voters in Hart’s Location also cast ballots in the contest shortly after midnight. Here’s a rundown of the results:

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney received 5 votes, U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) received 4, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman received 2, while Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich each secured one vote.

HuffPost’s Mark Blumenthal reports on the latest polls out on the race for the Republican presidential nomination in New Hampshire:

Four new polls released over the weekend continue to show Mitt Romney heading for a comfortable victory in Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, with some uncertainty remaining about the ultimate size of that margin and the race for second through fifth place. All four polls show increasing support for former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, with some suggesting that Huntsman might close in on Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) for second place.

The four new surveys differed in their methods and timing, and perhaps as a result, showed slightly varying levels of support for former Massachusetts Gov. Romney. The polls — conducted by the University of New Hampshire and WMUR; Suffolk University and 7News; the Democratic Party-affiliated firm Public Policy Polling and the American Research Group — estimated Romney’s support between 35 and 41 percent of the likely primary voter. They also gave him leads over his nearest competitors ranging from 15 to 24 percentage points.

The two polls that tracked opinions over the course of the week showed slight declines for Romney. Romney was down two and five points respectively on the University of New Hampshire and Suffolk University surveys, compared to surveys conducted earlier in the week.