D-Day for Dixville Notch

Voting in the New Hampshire primaries began on the stroke of midnight in the hamlet of Dixville Notch.
It has just nine registered voters but they say there's something special about being the first.
SOUNDBITE: Jeff McIver, Dixville Notch voter, saying (English):
"You really feel like your vote counts and you feel like this America. It's very special to do this and get our votes tallied so quickly and get the message out."
The hamlet takes advantage of a state law that allows communities to close polling once voting is over and reveal the results.
In Dixville Notch the final count tied Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman for first place.
Its handful of voters said the outcome was not a surprise.
SOUNDBITE: Donna Kaye Erwin, voter, saying (English):
"I think it's what I expected. I thought it was going to be split amongst several people. I think a lot like the caucus and probably how the rest of the state will vote is that it still is probably wide open. I don't think there's a clear path yet for the Republican party."
SOUNDBITE: Tom Tillotson, voter, saying (English):
"I think everybody was expecting Romney to win here and Huntsman to maybe get a vote. He had my vote going in so somebody else agreed with me."
Dixville Notch represents the first direct voting in New Hampshire's primary, the next battleground in the state-by-state contest to pick a Republican presidential contender.
Paul Chapman, Reuters