In just a few days, the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire Primary will take place. To (hopefully) clear up any basic questions or thoughts about this election, here is the 2020 Durham Voter’s Guide.
Who can vote in the primary?
“New Hampshire inhabitants who will be 18 years of age or older on the day of the next election, and a United States citizen,” and who are “domiciled in the town or ward where the person seeks to vote,” according to the New Hampshire Secretary of State’s website, are able to vote in the primary. New Hampshire college students are eligible to vote in the primary.
Can members of both parties vote in the primary?
Democrats and Republicans can vote in their own party’s primary, and independent voters can choose which party’s primary they wish to vote in. It is worth noting that after selecting the ballot they want, independent voters become registered to that party, unless you “fill out a card to or sign a list to return to undeclared status with the supervisors of the checklist before leaving the polling place,” according to the New Hampshire Secretary of State website.
I live in Durham, where do I go to vote?
Oyster River High School, at 55 Coe Dr. in Durham. Voting will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. More information is available on the Town of Durham website.
Who is running?
Short answer: a whole lot of people. Here are some basic facts about each major contender, of course these are in no way exhaustive as information is constantly coming in about these candidates. Many news organizations have “Meet the Candidates” pages on their websites. Candidates are in random order.
Democrats
Elizabeth Warren
Sen. Warren (D-MA) currently polls in third place in New Hampshire, at 14.2 percent. She has two upcoming events in the Seacoast area: Feb. 10 at 5:45 p.m. in Portsmouth and Feb. 10 at 1:15 p.m. in Rochester.
Andrew Yang
Yang is an entrepreneur who polls at an average of 3.8 percent in New Hampshire. He is holding four upcoming events in the Seacoast area: Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. in Dover, Feb. 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Exeter, Feb. 10 at 9:30 a.m. in Rochester, and Feb. 10 at 2:30 p.m. in Portsmouth.
Michael Bennet
Sen. Bennet (D-CO) is not mentioned in the polling average, but it has been reported that he has polled around 2 percent in some recent polls of the state. Information on specific events featuring Bennet could not be found, but his campaign will be hosting several Get Out the Vote (GOTV) events in the Seacoast from Feb. 8-11.
Joe Biden
Biden served as Barack Obama’s vice president during both terms. He currently polls in second place at 17.9 percent in the Real Clear Politics (RCP) average. Biden has hosted many New Hampshire events but no information could be found on upcoming events in the area.
Pete Buttigieg
Buttigieg served as mayor of South Bend, Indiana. He currently polls at an average of 13.1 percent in New Hampshire, where he has hosted many recent events, including several at UNH. He will be hosting an event on Feb. 9 at 2 p.m. in Dover.
Tulsi Gabbard
Rep. Gabbard (D-HI) polls at an average of 4.6 percent in New Hampshire. Gabbard has spent a large amount of her time campaigning in New Hampshire, and has three upcoming events near Durham: Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. in Somersworth, Feb. 8 at 5 p.m. in Rochester, and Feb. 9 at 1:30 p.m. in Greenland.
Amy Klobuchar
Sen. Klobuchar (D-MN) polls at 7.3 percent on average in New Hampshire, which puts her in fifth place. Klobuchar has three upcoming Seacoast area events: Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. in Durham, Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. in Exeter, and Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. in Rochester.
Deval Patrick
Patrick, a former governor of Massachusetts, entered the race relatively late. He polls at an average of 0.4 percent in New Hampshire. Patrick has an event in the Seacoast area on Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. in Durham.
Bernie Sanders
Sen. Sanders (D-VT) leads the polling average in New Hampshire with 25.5 percent. He is hosting two upcoming events in the Seacoast area: Feb. 8 at 1:30 p.m. in Rochester and Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in Durham (GOTV Rally and Concert with The Strokes).
Tom Steyer
Steyer is a billionaire hedge-fund manager, philanthropist, and climate-change activist. He polls at an average of 3.6 percent in New Hampshire. Information on any upcoming Seacoast-area Steyer events could not be found.
Republicans
Bill Weld
Weld is a former Massachusetts governor, as well as a lawyer and businessman. There have not been many reported Republican primary polls, but within the past year Weld has gotten anywhere from 7 percent to 18 percent in these polls. He has events on Feb. 6 at 6 p.m. in Durham and Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. in Exeter.
Donald Trump
Trump is the current incumbent president. In the above-mentioned Republican polls, Trump receives between 72 percent and 86 percent of the vote. Trump is having an event on Feb. 10 at 7 p.m. in Manchester.
Joe Walsh
Walsh is a former representative from Illinois. He was not mentioned in any of the polls on Real Clear Politics. No information on Seacoast-area events for Walsh could be found.
