New Hampshire hamlet with 12 residents vote at the stroke of midnight on election day

A village of 12 residents in the US state of New Hampshire started their Election Day by voting unanimously for Democratic nominee Joe Biden at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday, reported news agency AFP.

The vote and count only took a few minutes, with five votes going for Biden and none for President Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term.

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According to an AFP report, Voters in Dixville Notch, a tiny northeastern town in the middle of the forest, near the Canadian border, has traditionally voted “first in the nation” since 1960.

Neighboring village Millsfield also begins voting at midnight but a third village in the area, which typically follows the same tradition, canceled overnight voting due to the coronavirus pandemic.

New Hampshire’s electoral laws allow for midnight polling in Municipalities consisting of less than 100 residents.

Electoral laws in New Hampshire allow municipalities with fewer than 100 residents to open their polling stations at midnight and to close them when all registered voters have fulfilled their civic duty.

In 2016, as well, Dixville Notch voted abundantly for Democrat Hillary Clinton with 4 votes, while Trump got just two.

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Most polling stations on the East Coast will open at 6:00 or 7:00 am (1100 or 1200 GMT) on Tuesday.

But with a huge expansion in mail-in voting to safeguard against the COVID-19 pandemic, a record of nearly 100 million people have already cast ballots.

While many early votes are believed to have been cast by Democrats — encouraged by Biden to take advantage of the opportunity — Trump’s campaign is hoping for a massive wave of Republican supporters voting in person on Tuesday.