Midnight in the middle of a New Hampshire forest. It’s freezing. While the rest of the country is still arguing over cable news predictions or setting early morning alarms, a tiny group of neighbors is gathered in a wood-paneled room. This is the Balsams Resort. It’s quiet, save for the clicking of cameras from a handful of reporters who made the trek up North. Then, it’s over in minutes. When people ask how did Dixville Notch vote in 2020, they usually expect some kind of complex, drawn-out drama. But honestly? It was a shutout.
Five votes. That’s it. All five went to Joe Biden.
Donald Trump got zero. In a town that historically leans Republican or at least splits the difference, this wasn't just a win; it was a statistical anomaly that set the internet on fire for about three hours before the rest of the world woke up. You’ve probably heard that Dixville Notch is a "bellwether" for the nation. It isn’t. It’s a tradition. It’s a quirk of New Hampshire law that allows a precinct to close the polls as soon as every registered voter has cast their ballot. Since there were only five voters in 2020, they were done by 12:05 AM.
Why This Tiny Spot Matters (And Why It Doesn't)
People obsess over these early numbers because we’re a nation of junkies for data. We want to know the "vibe" of the election before the sun even comes up. But looking at how Dixville Notch voted in 2020 through a predictive lens is a mistake. It’s like trying to predict the outcome of the Super Bowl based on the coin toss. It feels significant because it’s the first thing that happens, but it rarely dictates the final score.
Historically, this place has a weird track record. In 2016, Hillary Clinton won the Notch, but Donald Trump took the state and the White House. Back in 2012, it was a dead heat—Obama and Romney tied with five votes each. Go back to the Bush era, and it was a Republican stronghold. The 2020 sweep was the first time a candidate had taken every single vote in the village since Ronald Reagan did it in 1960. Think about that for a second. In sixty years of midnight voting, Joe Biden was the first person to pitch a perfect game in this tiny mountain notch.
The Logistics of a Five-Person Election
It’s kinda wild when you think about the paperwork involved. New Hampshire law is very specific. You need a moderator, a town clerk, and a handful of selectmen. When your entire population is in the single digits, basically everyone in the room has a job to do. You aren't just a voter; you're the infrastructure of democracy.
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The 2020 cycle was particularly weird because of the pandemic. Mask mandates were in place, and the usual crowd of tourists and political tourists was thinner than usual. Les Otten, the developer who has been trying to revitalize the Balsams Resort for years, was one of those five voters. He’s a lifelong Republican. He even recorded a video explaining his vote for Biden, saying it was about "character" over "policy." That’s a huge detail people miss. The 100% Biden result wasn't because the town suddenly became a progressive haven. It was because the five specific individuals living there at that moment made a choice based on the specific context of 2020.
How Did Dixville Notch Vote in 2020 Compared to Its Neighbors?
If you want to understand the real political geography of the North Country, you have to look at Millsfield and Hart’s Location. These are the other "midnight voting" towns. While Dixville Notch went 5-0 for Biden, Millsfield—just a few miles down the road—went 16-5 for Donald Trump.
This is where the "bellwether" myth falls apart. If you only looked at the Dixville Notch results, you’d think the election was a landslide. If you only looked at Millsfield, you’d think it was a MAGA blowout. This is the reality of New Hampshire: it’s a patchwork of fiercely independent people who don’t care what their neighbors are doing.
- Dixville Notch: 5 Biden, 0 Trump.
- Millsfield: 16 Trump, 5 Biden.
- Hart’s Location: Historically does this too, but they skipped the midnight vote in 2020 due to COVID-19 concerns.
Totaling it up, the "midnight tally" was 21 for Trump and 10 for Biden across the two towns that participated. It just goes to show how much weight we put on a single headline. We see "Biden Sweeps First Town" and we draw a conclusion. We see "Trump Wins Midnight Vote 2-to-1" and we draw another. Both are technically true, but neither tells the whole story.
The Balsams: The Ghost in the Room
You can't talk about the vote without talking about the hotel. The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel is the reason Dixville Notch exists. It used to be this massive, thriving destination where thousands of people stayed. Now, it’s mostly empty, waiting for a massive redevelopment project to bring it back to life.
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The voters are mostly employees or people tied to the property. This is why the population fluctuates so much. In 2008, there were 21 voters. In 2020, there were five. This isn't a natural town with suburbs and grocery stores. It's a 15,000-acre estate. When people search for how Dixville Notch voted in 2020, they are looking at the political leanings of a very small, very specific group of colleagues.
Debunking the Myths
One thing that drives me crazy is the idea that these voters are "picked" to represent the country. They aren't. They’re just people who live there. Another myth? That the results are legally binding for the whole state. Nope. They are just the first results reported. They don't trigger anything special in the Electoral College. It's basically a very well-coordinated media stunt that happens to be an official legal process.
Also, let's talk about the "predictive power."
In 2000, they went for Bush. Correct.
In 2004, they went for Bush. Correct.
In 2008, they went for Obama. Correct.
In 2012, they tied. (The country didn't).
In 2016, they went for Clinton. Wrong.
In 2020, they went for Biden. Correct.
So, they are "right" more often than not, but only because they are voting in a state that usually picks the winner. It's not magic. It's just a small sample size in a swing state.
Is the Tradition Dying?
There was a lot of talk in 2020 about whether Dixville Notch would even be allowed to vote. Under New Hampshire law, a town needs at least five people to hold an election: three selectmen, a town clerk, and a moderator. For a while, they only had four people. It was a minor crisis in the world of political trivia.
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Luckily, a fifth person moved in just in time. If that one person hadn't moved, the tradition would have ended right then and there. It’s that fragile. It’s a reminder that democracy—even the weird, midnight, televised version of it—depends entirely on people showing up.
Actionable Insights: How to Read Election Night Data
When the next election cycles roll around, you’re going to see the same headlines again. Here is how to actually process the information without getting sucked into the hype:
- Check the denominator: When you see a "sweep," check how many people actually voted. A 100% win is less impressive when only five people are in the room.
- Look for the "Why": In 2020, the Dixville Notch vote was influenced by a prominent Republican (Les Otten) publicly switching sides. That’s a specific narrative, not a national trend.
- Wait for the "Midnight Total": Don't just look at one town. Combine Dixville Notch and Millsfield to get a slightly better (though still tiny) picture of the North Country's mood.
- Ignore "Bellwether" labels: No town of five people can represent a nation of 330 million. Enjoy it for the Americana and the tradition, but don't bet your 401k on it.
If you’re interested in the actual data, you can always check the New Hampshire Secretary of State website for the certified tallies. They keep the historical records of these midnight votes, and it's a fun rabbit hole if you’re into political history.
The real takeaway from how Dixville Notch voted in 2020 isn't about Joe Biden or Donald Trump. It's about the fact that in a tiny corner of the woods, people still care enough about the ritual of voting to get dressed up at midnight and stand in a cold room just to be the first to say they did their duty. That’s the part that actually matters.
Next Steps for the Curious
If you want to see this in action for yourself, you can actually visit the area. While the Balsams is currently under renovation, the "Ballot Room" is a piece of history. You can also look into the history of Hart's Location, which actually started the midnight voting tradition back in 1948 to accommodate railroad workers who had to be at work before the polls opened. Understanding the labor history behind these traditions makes them a lot less like a stunt and a lot more like a practical solution to a 20th-century problem.
For those tracking the 2024 and 2028 cycles, keep an eye on the population counts in these unincorporated places. The "Town of Five" might soon become the "Town of Three," and the law will have to change again. Democracy is always moving, even in a place as still as Dixville Notch.