Washington — When New Hampshire voters head to the polls Tuesday in the first primary election of the 2024 campaign, Republicans may know the outcome more quickly than Democrats. 

That's because President Biden won't appear on the New Hampshire primary ballot. Still, his supporters have launched a write-in campaign in support of the likely Democratic presidential nominee. 

In the Republican primary, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley is seeking to challenge former President Donald Trump's front-runner status in New Hampshire — where the electorate is more moderate — after he dominated his rivals in the Iowa caucuses. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped out of the race on Sunday and endorsed Trump. 

In guidance sent to local elections officials earlier this month, New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan and Attorney General John Formella encouraged officials to release results of their respective polling locations once all ballots had been tallied, but said they could release Republican results earlier if write-in votes on the Democratic side are taking longer to count. 

"To the extent that counting the write-in votes takes longer than expected, the moderator may release the Republican results earlier than the Democratic results provided the results are complete and the moderator is comfortable that appropriate reconciliation has taken place for that party," the guidance said. 

When do polls open for New Hampshire voters?

The hours of polling places vary in New Hampshire, but most open between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. ET. 

Voters in the tiny community of Dixville Notch, which has just a few residents, will be the first to cast their ballots at midnight. The midnight voting tradition began in 1960. 

When do polls close in the New Hampshire primary election?

Most polling sites in New Hampshire close at 7 p.m. ET, but some are open until 8 p.m. ET. 

Dixville Notch is again the outlier, with polls closing just a few minutes after they open once all its voters have cast their ballots. 

When will New Hampshire primary results start coming in?

New Hampshire primary results start trickling in once polls have closed. Historically, New Hampshire has counted a substantial portion of votes within a few hours of polls closing. 

Polling places that close earlier can announce their results once they have them and do not have to wait for other communities to wrap up voting, according to the New Hampshire secretary of state's office. For example, results in Dixville Notch are typically reported before polling sites are even open elsewhere in the state. 

This year, Democratic votes may take longer to report in some townships because Mr. Biden isn't on the ballot and hand-counting write-in votes could slow down the process. But the secretary of state is confident that all results will be in on primary night, his office said. 

CBS News does not characterize or project the outcome of the race before the last poll closes at 8 p.m. ET. 

In:
• New Hampshire
• New Hampshire Primary
• Democratic Party
• Donald Trump
• Politics
• Republican Party
• Election
• Nikki Haley

Caitlin Yilek

Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at cbsnews.com and is based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation.

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