First 2012 Election Results: Tie in Dixville Notch – Obama takes Hart’s Location

Dixville Notch, N.H., gets to cast the first votes of the presidential election.  Just after midnight on Tuesday, 10 votes were cast. The outcome was a tie.

One other New Hampshire town has the dubious honor of voting so early, Hart’s Location – also in New Hampshire.

Five votes each were cast for incumbent Barack Obama and Mitt Romney resulting in a tie. In 2008 21 votes were cast with then Sen. Obama besting Sen. John McCain 15 to 6. Less than half the number of votes were cast in 2012 then were in the previous Presidential election.

If Dixville Notch is any indication, the Democratic vote will be seriously muted when compared to 2008. It also could indicate that New Hampshire may go Republican in the most important election in decades. That could spell trouble for the sitting President.

Earlier, President Obama took Hart’s Location, NH with a 23-9 margin. In 2008 Obama carried the poll location 17-10 over John McCain. This would indicate that Dems showed up in Hart’s Location, but were uninspired in Dixville Notch as Romney got only one less vote than McCain while Obama saw his turnout increase by less than the amount lost in Dixville Notch.

All-in-all, the early New Hampshire votes mean nothing. Perhaps indicative, perhaps nothing. This is the election and of course the CDN staff will analyze every result and look for indications of how the rest of Tuesday will go. Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania are the real focus – states we won’t hear from until much later tonight.