US New Hampshire Primary Voting... Trump Secures Lead vs Haley's Comeback Attempt

The New Hampshire primary vote, a turning point in the U.S. Republican presidential primary, began on the 23rd. Voting at each polling station starts between 6 and 8 a.m. and ends between 7 and 8 p.m.

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Both the Democratic and Republican parties cast one vote each in their respective primaries, and independent voters can choose to vote in either the Democratic or Republican primary.

In the Republican primary, former President Donald Trump and former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley are competing. Former President Trump, who won the Iowa caucus with a majority, is expected to effectively end the Republican primary if he wins the New Hampshire primary with a majority or by a double-digit margin over Ambassador Haley.

On the other hand, if Ambassador Haley wins against former President Trump or loses by a narrow margin, the primary momentum will be maintained. In this case, the contest between former President Trump and Haley can be extended to South Carolina, Haley's hometown, on the 24th of next month.

The Democratic primary is proceeding without President Joe Biden registering as a candidate. Earlier, the Democratic National Committee changed the first primary state from New Hampshire to South Carolina, but New Hampshire decided to hold the primary as scheduled due to state law mandating the first primary. Attention is focused on how many votes President Biden will receive through a voting method where voters write the candidate's name directly on the ballot. This method uses a section labeled 'write-in vote' in addition to the boxes with candidates' names printed on the ballot.

The primary vote count is expected to be completed within a few hours after voting ends. However, U.S. media outlets predict that the counting may take longer for the Democrats because of the write-in voting method.