New Hampshire Republican Primary Results Live Blog

New Hampshire’s primary voting began with the nine voters in Dixville Notch cast their votes today.

The polls opened here at midnight and closed less than a minute later, and the tally was final by 12:05 a.m. On the Republican side, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman tied, with two votes each. Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul each got one vote. President Obama received his very first live votes of confidence — three of them.

The New Hampshire primary, the nation’s first of the 2012 presidential campaign, is Tuesday. That means the tiny village of Dixville Notch casts the first ballots of the contest just after midnight, a tradition since 1960. (Jan. 10)

In Hart’s Location, another village that traditionally votes minutes after Dixville Notch, Romney was a clear winner. There, the former Massachusetts governor took five votes to four votes for Paul. Huntsman took two votes, Texas Gov. Rick Perry took one and Gingrich took one.

New Hampshire election law permits unincorporated towns of fewer than 100 residents to open for polling at midnight, and Dixville Notch has done so since 1960, at The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel high in the North Country, about 20 miles south of the Canadian border. There were nine votes cast that year, too, all for Richard Nixon.

Most of the polls will close at 7 pm eastern.  A few close at 8 pm.  CNN is reporting that early exit polling show that most voters have at least a $50k a year salary.   Of those voting, 69 percent are concerned about the economy.  CNN breaking news also sent this interesting tidbit to its subscribers.

One in four said the deficit was the most important issue. Also, more than three-quarters of respondents said the series of Republican debates was important to their final decision, while less than half said television ads were important.

CNN also reports they are expecting a record turnout in the Republican votes.  New Hampshire is having ‘unseasonably’ warm weather and that should improve turnout.  That makes me wonder if New Hampshire Republicans are  climate change deniers.  Probably not.  New Hampshire is it’s own little state.  John Avalon tells us that New Hampshire is all about the independents.

While Iowa’s caucuses are disproportionately dominated by social conservatives, in New Hampshire’s open primary, independents can vote — and they make up more than 40% of the local electorate.

That’s right — in New Hampshire, registered independents outnumber Republicans or Democrats.

It’s a libertarian instinct reflected in the state’s motto, “Live Free or Die.” It’s captured in the wonderful fact that in the northern town named “Freedom,” independents make up the bulk of the 1,000-plus voters.

It’s also reflected in the fact that New Hampshire is one of the least religious states in the nation.

Likewise, a Pew Research Center poll conducted before the 2008 primary found that 55% of New Hampshire Republican primary voters believed that abortion should be always or mostly legal, while just 13% of New Hampshire GOP primary voters said abortion should be always illegal — posing a problem for fundamentalists like Rick Santorum who support a constitutional ban on abortion.

Fiscal conservatives rule the roost in the New Hampshire Republican Party, which is committed to the state’s anti-income tax tradition with a focus on balanced budgets and a concurrent aversion to deficit spending.

Events surrounding the Democratic primary in New Hampshire made me very fond of the state four years ago.   This youtube shows them moment that really drove me to firmly support Hillary.  Well, that and her heartfelt speech about why she was really running.

“Some people think elections are a game: who’s up or who’s down,” Clinton said, her voice breaking and tears welling. “It’s about our country. It’s about our kids’ future. It’s about all of us together. Some of us put ourselves out there and do this against some difficult odds.”

I doubt we’ll have any sincere, heartfelt moments tonight, but we’ll be watching!!!  What’s it look like from where you’re at?