US town readies for another first in presidential elections

The tiny, unincorporated town of Dixville Notch in New Hampshire, the United States, is readying itself once again for its quadrennial moment of fame. Midnight voting in the first-in-the-nation presidential elections is expected to take place in Dixville Notch on Tuesday, despite major renovations underway at the Balsams Grand Resort Hotel, the traditional balloting place. A makeshift polling station was set up in a nearby ski lodge, a grey building, at the foot of snow-capped mountains in the ski resort. Leo Mailhot, a resident from the nearby town of Colebrook who helped set up the polling station, told Xinhua that they started to clear up the space last Tuesday and put all photos and decorations on the wall. "We are trying very hard to make this year's polling station look the same as the previous ones in the ball room of the Balsams (Hotel)," Mailhot said. Ten registered voters are expected to cast their ballots at the stroke of midnight on Tuesday, signifying the official beginning of the voting in the 2012 U.S. presidential elections. Garry Parkhuest, the owner of the ski lodge, told Xinhua that they worked hard to get lights on for the polling station. At the moment, there is no heating system in the hall, but a gas heating machine is put in the place to warm up the space. They also set up six phone lines for the reporters, Parkhuest said. "The phones are set up here just for tonight so that the press can use them to call whatever they want to call." Earlier on Monday, Mailhot drove his van to fetch the ballot box and put it in the place for the polling station. The ballot box, with a brass lock on it, was put on the table under the big sign, which says, "Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, the first in the nation." Around the corner, 10 ballot booths were available for the voters. At the same time, an additional ballot booth was also erected for the handicapped. "At the moment, all the 10 voters are fit and healthy, we set up this special booth just in case someone is hurt in an accident or by falling down," Mailhot said. The small town on Monday had the third snowfall in the year, and the temperature is expected to drop to minus eight degrees Celsius as the voting kicks off at midnight on Tuesday. Traditionally, the voting in Dixville Notch takes place in less than a minute.