No Midnight Voting in NH?

The three towns that pride themselves on voting 'First In The Nation' will be changing up a few things this year. According to this WMUR-TV report, one will cancel the tradition altogether.

Dixville Notch and Millsfield will still vote at Midnight on November 3rd but they'll be using far fewer booths and masks will be required for voters as well.

Unfortunately for Hart's Location, they do not have the adequate space to conduct the voting tradition in a safe, socially distant manner. They will operate a much more conventional schedule of 11AM to 7PM.

This Granite State tradition really made it's first impact on me in 1984. I had just turned eleven years old and the idea of staying up that late seemed so cool. Ironically, as the years went by I started looking at the final returns, often written in fancy calligraphy, and grunted disapprovingly. I guess I'd be the Grinch of Coos County. I would vote and skedaddle, making it a point not to stick around for the festivities. Years and years of waking up at Oh Dark Thirty have turned me into a bitter meanie with green fur and a heart that's three sizes too small.

I can't help but think that there has to be at least a few registered voters in Hart's Location reveling in the fact that their night's sleep will NOT be ruined this year.

For those of you traditionalists, the townsfolk seem quite disappointed with this turn of events and will return to Midnight voting as soon as they can do so safely.