Primary Vote Begins in Dixville Notch

Voting for the 2012 Republican presidential primaries began at midnight in Dixville Notch, N.H., ending in a tie between Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman, who each scored two votes. Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich got one vote each, as nine registered residents of the first precinct to report returns cast their ballots. Given the small number of voters in the tiny resort town—three registered Republicans, four undeclared voters eligible to vote for either party, and two registered Democrats—the results took only moments to report. In the past, Dixville Notch has been the forerunner for the rest of the state. Primary voters in 2008 selected then-senator Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain, who went on to win their party’s nominations.