Voting for the New Hampshire primary began on the 23rd (local time) to select each party’s candidate for the U.S. presidential election in November.
Even though it was a weekday morning, the two polling stations that News 1 visited on this day were lined with residents who came to vote. In particular, voters from four districts flocked to the polling station set up at Pinkerton Academy in Derry, so that the excitement of voting could be felt.
Voters parked their cars and headed to the polls wearing thick coats and hats despite the cold weather with a perceived temperature of 0 to 1 degrees.
Couples and other families were also seen coming together, as well as office workers taking some time out of their working hours to vote. There were quite a few women in their 20s and 30s holding the hands of their young children and entering the voting booth.
In front of the polling place, volunteers for each candidate held signs with the candidate’s name on them and appealed for support from voters heading to the polling place. Some voters encouraged people holding signs for candidates they supported or even shouted slogans together.
Following the change in the Democratic Party’s first primary, Democratic Party volunteers also stood in front of each polling place, appealing for ‘write-in votes’ for President Joe Biden, who did not register as a candidate in the New Hampshire primary.
However, it seemed that there were relatively more voters willing to participate in the Republican primary, which is a fierce battle between former President Donald Trump and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, than in the Democratic primary, which became an ‘unofficial primary’.
While New Hampshire’s primary vote is underway on the 23rd (local time) to select each party’s candidates for the U.S. presidential election in November, voters cast their votes at a polling place set up at ‘Pinkerton Academy’ in Derry, New Hampshire. are waiting in line to do so. 2024.01.23.Police officers were also deployed inside and outside the polling place to direct traffic or prepare for unexpected situations.
Inside the polling place, state government officials in charge of election management were guiding voters.
Voters verified their identity with their driver’s license, etc. at the polling place, received the ballot paper for the political party they wanted to vote for, marked it, and then placed their vote in the ballot box.
The polling booth was surrounded by red and blue fabric symbolizing the Republican and Democratic parties, respectively.
There are a total of 873,000 registered voters in New Hampshire. Among them, about 260,000 are registered voters of the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively, and registered independent voters are the largest at 340,000.
Voting in New Hampshire is an open primary, and independent voters can cast their vote by temporarily registering their party affiliation by choosing either the Democratic or Republican party.
The names of 21 Democrats and 24 Republicans, including candidates who have resigned, are listed on the ballot. You can also vote for candidates who are not registered by directly writing their names.
An election official who met at the ‘Bishop O’Neill Preschool Center’ polling station in Manchester told News 1, “There are 4,500 registered voters here, and about 2,600 to 2,700 are expected to vote,” and “The excitement among voters is rising.” “Up to 3,000 people can vote,” he said.
This official said, “We will start counting votes after voting closes at 7 p.m.,” and added, “The results of the vote counting will be available at 9 or 9:30 p.m.”
While New Hampshire’s primary vote to select each party’s candidates for the upcoming U.S. presidential election in November is underway on the 23rd (local time), former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, is attending ‘Pinker’ in Derry, New Hampshire. Visiting the ‘Turn Academy’ polling station and taking pictures with supporters. 2024.01.23.Voters who participated in the Republican primary expressed their affection for the candidate they supported as much as the fierce competition between former President Trump and former Ambassador Haley.
Supporters of former President Trump, who are continuing the ‘trend theory’, predicted a victory with a margin of more than double digits, while supporters of former Ambassador Haley, who is on the rise, expected a fierce battle within a single digit.
Secra Lipoto, who is in his 70s and met at the Manchester polling station, said he voted for former President Trump and said, “Former President Trump will win by a margin of more than double digits.”
“I think she should resign,” Lipoto said, if Haley loses in the New Hampshire primary. “Unfortunately, Haley has a lot of Democratic donors, so I’m going to try to keep her in the race. “That’s not right,” he said.
A man in his 60s who said he voted for former President Trump said, “We need to get the country back on track. There are too many (illegal) immigrants in America, we need to build a wall. “He (former President Trump) is the only person who loves America,” he said. “Former Ambassador Haley is supported by the Democratic Party. “He should resign after this primary,” he said.
“Former Ambassador Haley is a very good candidate and will make an excellent president,” said Elizabeth Childs, a volunteer with former Ambassador Haley, who met at a polling place in Derry. “Former Ambassador Haley won all six votes in the village of Dixville Notch (where the first vote was counted). What you receive is a good sign. “I hope other places will have the wisdom to follow their lead,” he said.
Regarding former President Trump’s claim that he would win by a double-digit margin, Childs said, “That’s really unbelievable. “We have to wait and see what decision the voters will make,” he countered. Regarding the possibility of former Ambassador Haley resigning if she loses in the New Hampshire primary, he said, “I don’t agree with that at all. “He’s going to be in the primary race for a long time.”
On this day, former Ambassador Haley visited a polling place in Derry visited by News 1 and appealed for people to vote for her. He even took a ‘selfie’ with his supporters when they asked to take a picture.
Several voters who introduced themselves as ‘independents’ seemed reluctant to reveal who they voted for.
A Democratic Party volunteer is campaigning for U.S. President Joe Biden’s ‘write-in vote’ at a polling place in Manchester on the 23rd (local time) when the New Hampshire primary voting began. 2024.01.23.Democratic voters were also participating in the primary, although not as much as Republicans.
A Democrat in his 80s approached a volunteer running President Biden’s ‘write-in vote’ campaign and gave a thumbs up, saying, “President Biden is a good person.”
Jim Montgomery, who participated in the ‘write-in vote campaign’ at the Manchester polling station, said, “The response to the write-in campaign was really good. Many people are supporting President Biden. “He will get very good votes,” he said.
Montgomery, however, showed a dismissive attitude toward the ‘truce’ write-in campaign by some progressive groups, saying, “I’m not very interested.”
However, voters who voted for ‘truce’, which has emerged as President Biden’s rival, were also noticeable.
Mary Kagan, a woman in her 20s who recently graduated from college, said, “I supported the ‘ceasefire’ today because there was no candidate I strongly supported.” “There are many things I like about what President Biden is doing domestically, but the situation in Palestine is “I really don’t like the response,” he said.
Supporters of Rep. Dean Phillips, who entered the Democratic primary race, also cast their votes. A man in his 40s said he voted for Rep. Phillips “because he was on the ballot.”
(Manchester Derry=News 1)
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.