Talking with scores of voters here, they are engaged. They are paying attention. They know how to do this, and they want to do this.
 
But Granite Staters are looking at a strange political landscape this year. 

Their role is often to winnow presidential fields. But this year it may be to determine those fields. As we reported last night, the primary today could essentially decide if the nation has any chance of avoiding a Biden-Trump rematch. (A brief reminder: Biden isn’t on the ballot in New Hampshire’s primary. We explain why here.)

While other candidates have received attention — the prominent ones being the GOP’s Nikki Haley, Democrats Dean Phillips, the U.S. representative from Minnesota, and 2020 candidate Marianne Williamson, respectively — I have not seen any of them having the kind of crowd size or zeal that Trump commands here. 
 
But it all comes down to how many independent voters, who can vote in either the Republican or Democratic party primary here, are "anti-rematch voters." It is clear to me that, as with most voters in the country right now, the vast majority of this state does not want a Biden-Trump ballot in November. The problem is: Each party wants the other to divert. 
 
My plan is to start at Dunkin’. And go from there.

HOW TO WATCH NEW HAMPSHIRE’S 2024 PRIMARY RESULTS

By Joshua Barajas, @Josh_Barrage
Senior Editor, Digital
 
Molly Finnegan
Deputy Managing Editor, Digital
 
Tonight’s the night: The first primary of 2024. We’ll be bringing you the latest all evening.
 
The PBS NewsHour’s Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett will co-anchor tonight’s regular broadcast, which will feature Lisa live from New Hampshire.
 
Desjardins will offer an update at 9 p.m. ET, and live special coverage begins at 11 p.m. ET. 
 
Watch online here or check your local listings to find the PBS station near you.
 
You can also follow Lisa on X, formerly known as Twitter, for updates throughout the night.
 
There are many ways to follow along on our website, including:

When do polls close and who is eligible to vote?

Depending on the town, polls close at 7 p.m., 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. Eastern.
 
While New Hampshire allows absentee ballots, it does not hold early voting.
 
Nearly 40 percent of the state’s voters are unaffiliated with a political party and can vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary. That includes around 4,000 Democrats who switched their voter registration to undeclared ahead of the October deadline. Many intend to vote in the Republican primary.
 
Who’s on the ballot?
 
In recent days, the Republican presidential field has boiled down to a two-person race between Trump and Haley, after the exit of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis days before the election and the departure of former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy the week earlier. 
 
New Hampshire’s primary ballot itself will have 24 candidates listed, including those who have dropped since the Iowa caucuses last week.

Though not indicative of who will prevail, Haley did notch a sweep in the tiny town of Dixville Notch just after midnight.

The Democratic ballot lists 21 candidates, including Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and 2020 candidate Marianne Williamson. Notably absent, as mentioned, is Biden.
 
Why is Biden NOT on the ballot?
 
Democrats will not find the incumbent, President Joe Biden, on their ballots due to a national Democratic Party rule change about who votes first in the nation. Since this contest is not recognized by the DNC, Democratic candidates won’t earn delegates, but that hasn’t stopped the president’s supporters from leading a write-in campaign in hopes of helping him score a (symbolic) victory.
 
How many delegates are up for grabs in New Hampshire?
 
New Hampshire will dole out 22 delegates in total to Republican vote leaders, based on the proportion of the vote that different candidates win. To score delegates, candidates must hit at least 10 percent of the vote in their party.
 
For the Republican contest overall, the magic number is 1,215. That would be the majority of delegates a candidate would need to win the Republican nomination, NPR’s Domenico Montanaro said.
 
After Iowa, Trump has 20 delegates to Haley’s eight.


#POLITICSTRIVIA
By Kyle Midura, @KyleMidura
Politics Producer
 
With New Hampshire in the spotlight this primary day, we thought to take a closer look at why its bicameral legislature is noteworthy.
 
In the United States, New Hampshire's legislature boasts 424 members — 400 in the House and 24 in the Senate — and is outnumbered only by the federal government’s 535. (That figure doesn’t include Congress’ six nonvoting members.)
 
Each House district in the Granite State has a population of about 3,400 residents, the lowest such number in the country. The outsized number of lawmakers is a relic of the founding era when many states had representatives for every town.
 
For comparison, in the U.S. House, each member represents about 700,000 people.
 
Our question: In how many states do state senators have more constituents than their counterparts in the U.S. House of Representatives?
 
Send your answers to [email protected] or tweet using #PoliticsTrivia. The first correct answers will earn a shout-out next week.
 
Last week, we asked: Trump’s victory in Iowa last week broke the record set by this Republican hopeful. Who was it?
 
The answer: Bob Dole. The long-serving Republican leader earned a margin of victory of nearly 13 percentage points in the 1988 Iowa caucuses.
 
Congratulations to our winners: Kathleen Perry and Steve Brydon!
 
Thank you all for reading and watching. We’ll drop into your inbox next week.