Voting starts at midnight in NH in small towns

[ringmastery]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,109514,00.html

DIXVILLE NOTCH, N.H. — In the first votes to be counted in a state presidential primary this year, Wesley Clark was expected to benefit from campaign visits to two of the state's smallest towns, where residents cast and count their votes in the early minutes of Election Day.

Clark was the only major Democratic candidate to visit Dixville Notch (search) and Hart's Location (search), where a few dozen residents make it a tradition to vote at midnight and announce to the world a few minutes later.

Officials and voters in both far northern towns said the retired general would likely be rewarded.

"I'm predicting a win for the general," said Michael Pearson, a Dixville Notch selectman.

There are no registered Democrats in Dixville Notch, population 33, and just five in Hart's Location, which has 39 residents. But state law allows independents to register with a party at the polling place and vote in its primary. Most of Dixville Notch's 16 independents and Hart's 14 were expected to vote in the Democratic primary.

Clark planned to finish his final day of campaigning at Dixville's Balsams hotel, the town's voting place.

[For PaisAn]

1. Right now

They're getting ready to vote right now. They just opened the ballot box to show everyone that it was starting out empty. It's actually exciting to watch and kinda quaint.

[For PaisAn]

2. Weird

It looks like the sign in AFTER they cast their ballot?