After more than a year of campaign rallies, on-campus student debates and get-out-the-vote efforts, Election Day is here.
New Hampshire, per usual, has its fair share of competition. Politico rated the Granite State’s gubernatorial race — a contest between former Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and former Manchester mayor Joyce Craig — the most contentious in the nation. At the presidential level, the state has seen close calls in years past. Although New Hampshire typically leans Democratic in presidential and Congressional races — including in 2020, when President Joe Biden beat former President Donald Trump to the state’s four Electoral College votes by more than 7.3 points — 2016 was a much closer race: Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton took the Granite State by only 0.4 percent, or 2,736 votes.
Dartmouth Political Union president Mac Mahoney ’26 said he was “really surprised” by how tight the presidential race is in New Hampshire this year.
“I had not even considered the possibility that Trump could win New Hampshire,” Mahoney said. “… New Hampshire is absolutely becoming a critical player, definitely a lot more than anybody had originally thought.”
For Dartmouth students heading to the polls today, The Dartmouth has put together a brief guide to the Hanover ballot.
Both major-party presidential campaigns have emphasized the state in recent days: Former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Harris in Portsmouth, N.H. and Nashua, N.H. last week, and Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance hosted a rally for Trump in Derry, N.H., on Nov. 3.
Still, not all eligible Dartmouth students plan to use their vote. Elise Tong ’27 said she feels that “none of the candidates are suitable for the presidency” and will not vote. She added that there was “a lot of nervousness and anxiety” at Dartmouth surrounding the upcoming election.
“I missed the Florida sign-up for registration, and I know I can register in New Hampshire, but I’m too lazy to,” she said.
Hanover ballots will list four named candidates for the U.S. presidency: Democratic nominee Harris, Republican nominee Trump, Libertarian nominee Chase Oliver and Green Party nominee Jill Stein.
Dartmouth Democrats secretary Beatrice Reichman ’27 said undecided voters should “block out the noise and go with [their] gut.” She endorsed Harris as the candidate for voters who “want to restore compassion, kindness and decency” to the presidency.
“Even if you disagree with her on policy, at the end of the day, you want a leader who is level-headed and kind,” Reichman said.
Dartmouth Democrats co-president Prescott Herzog ’25 said he was “nauseatingly optimistic” and “feeling really excited.”
“I feel like I and my team have been putting countless hours into getting this done,” Herzog said. “It’s now just up to the voters.”
Dartmouth Conservatives president Alex Azar ’25 did not endorse either candidate but said undecided voters should “have faith in the power of the vote.”
“It’s really important to get out and vote and exercise this privilege that we have,” Azar said.
Azar said he was “cautiously optimistic,” not for either candidate to win but that “things won’t go awry.”
“I hope this week is one of not infighting or political violence or anything like that,” Azar said. “Whoever the president may be, they deserve the support of the American population.”
Beyond the presidential race, Hanover voters will have 10 other federal and local positions on the ballot today, as well as a constitutional amendment question. Voters will be voting for a new governor, a new House representative and a range of local offices.
In the gubernatorial race, voters will have a choice between Ayotte, Craig and Libertarian Stephen Villee. Polling suggests that the race between Ayotte and Craig is “neck and neck,” with extensive fundraising on both sides making the election “the most expensive governor’s race” in the state’s history, according to The Portsmouth Herald.
Government professor and Democratic state representative Russell Muirhead said he believes the results of the gubernatorial election will be “largely decided by what happens at the top of the ballot.”
“If Harris wins by a lot, I think she may pull other Democrats over the victory line, such as Joyce Craig, but if Trump does better than expected, then I think those so-called down-ballot Democrats will have a harder test,” Muirhead said.
According to Craig’s campaign website, her key issues include “lowering costs and supporting working families,” “tackling the housing crisis” and “protecting and expanding reproductive freedom.” According to Ayotte’s campaign website, her key issues include “keep[ping] our communities safe,” “stop[ping] illegal immigration and secur[ing] our borders” and “back[ing] law enforcement and first responders.”
In the representative’s race, Democrat Maggie Goodlander will face Republican Lily Tang Williams to succeed current U.S. representative Ann Kuster ’78, who is retiring from Congress after 12 years in office.
Although Goodlander leads in the polls, Tang Williams gained traction online last week with a viral clip from a debate with Goodlander. In the clip, Tang Williams criticizes Goodlander for speaking about the plight of the working class despite being “wealthy” and allegedly receiving “millions of dollars from Washington D.C. insiders” for her campaign.
“How do you know about regular people’s suffering?” Tang Williams asks in the clip. “Do you go shopping, go to Walmart and buy food? I talk to those people … I don’t have money to run a TV ad — and you pretend you are poor.”
Goodlander responded by saying that she was focused on the voters, not herself.
“You’re focused on me,” she said. “I’m focused on the voters and the issues that matter to them — and high cost is something that, like I said, I’m going to fight with everything I’ve got.”
Goodlander’s website lists her key issues as “protecting our democracy,” “defending our freedoms” and “fighting for a fair deal” by “protecting” social welfare programs. According to Tang Williams’s website, her key issues include “allow[ing] the free market to thrive,” “secur[ing] the border” and “repeal[ing] all unconstitutional gun control laws, including gun-free zones.”
In the election for executive councilor, Democrat and current Grafton County treasurer Karen Liot Hill faces Republican Kim Strathdee, who works as a bookkeeper, in a race to replace Cinde Warmington. Warmington is currently the only Democrat on the five-member council, which, along with the governor, has authority “over the administration of affairs of the State,” according to its website.
In an interview with The Dartmouth, Liot Hill said she was “really ready to do the job on day one.”
“I’m ready to do this work of approving contracts, vetting appointments and working on state infrastructure,” Liot Hill said. “I am prepared to get results for people, and I am really committed to doing a good job.”
Liot Hill noted that the county was able to “avoid borrowing” and “generate more interest income than [it] had budgeted” while she served as Grafton County treasurer.
Liot Hill also said the county’s “strong financial position” allowed it to leverage 12 million dollars in stimulus funding from the Biden administration for “broadband in rural parts of Grafton County.”
In a past interview with The Dartmouth, Strathdee emphasized “preventative maintenance” of New Hampshire infrastructure and bipartisanship.
“I am here for the people,” she said. “I am not here to be a Republican. I am not here to fight the Democrats. I will work with the Republicans, but I will also work with the Democrats and most importantly, the Independents.”
In the state senate race, incumbent Democrat Suzanne Prentiss faces a challenge from Republican John McIntyre. Prentiss and McIntyre’s platforms reflect concerns about similar issues — healthcare, education and the economy — but distinctive policy approaches.
According to Prentiss’s website, she supports “key investments” in New Hampshire’s 13 regional public health networks and funding for “Planned Parenthood, community health centers, childcare facilities, shelters and hospitals that provide reproductive healthcare”; “property tax relief”; and “a livable wage, healthcare, access to reliable, affordable childcare” and safety.
According to McIntyre’s website, he wants to “improve price transparency, allow more competition … and decrease the bureaucracy that impedes access”; institute standardized testing in schools; and “keep [New Hampshire] tax-free … and be mindful of excess bureaucratic regulations.”
In the state representative race, voters will be able to select four individuals to serve in the 400-member New Hampshire House of Representatives. Only four named candidates — Democrats Terry Spahr, Mary Hakken-Philips, Muirhead and Dartmouth lecturer Ellen Rockmore — are listed on the ballot, leaving the race essentially uncontested.
Muirhead said some of his “key areas of focus” are campaign finance reform and making voting more accessible.
“There’s a lot of work to be done in making ballots more accessible to citizens from backgrounds that make it harder for them to access their birth certificates, and maybe mean that they don’t even have access to passports,” Muirhead said.
Voters will also choose between Democrat Jillian E. Myers — a patrol officer in the Littleton Police Department — and Republican Todd Matthew Eck — Bath Police Department Chief of Police — for the position of Grafton County sheriff. Outgoing sheriff Jeff Stiegler faces allegations of creating a hostile work environment, according to the Valley News.
Incumbent Martha Ann Hornick stands unopposed in the race for Grafton County Attorney, a position that is “responsible for prosecuting all felonies” committed in the county other than first and second-degree homicides, according to the county’s website.
In the election for Grafton County Treasurer, Democrat and former Executive Council member Michael J. Cryans faces Republican Brian Dear in a race to replace Liot Hill. The county treasurer keeps “an accurate record of money received and disbursed, [maintains] financial records and [invests] the surplus funds of the county,” according to the Valley News.
In the election for Grafton County Register of Deeds, incumbent Democrat Kelley Jean Monahan faces Republican Daniel Werman. The registry of deeds “processes information as it relates to the buying and selling of real property,” according to the office’s website.
In the race for Grafton County Register of Probate, incumbent Democrat Charles Townsend stands unopposed.
