It is Voting Day in New Hampshire

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MANCHESTER, N.H. — Today the national spotlight is, once again, on the northeastern state of New Hampshire. Every four years, New Hampshire residents are bombarded by national news outlets and presidential candidates eager to attract voters in the nation’s first 2016 Democratic and Republican primary.

Today, New Hampshire residents cast their ballots. It is a process they treasure as a pillar of the democratic process and proudly honor, knowing the whole nation is watching the small state.

At Beech Street Elementary School — the voting site for the Manchester residents of Ward 5 — voters have poured in since 6 a.m. to vote for their preferred candidate. At noon, an estimated 900 voters out of the 3,200 registered in the ward had cast their ballots, according to Janine Woodwurth, one of the ballot inspectors at the school.

Approximately one third of the ballots in the ward were cast by newly registered voters. Voting sites are scheduled to close at 7 p.m.

Outside the school, Carson, Clinton and Sanders supporters stood with campaign signs in a last minute attempt to convince incoming voters to vote for their respective candidates.

Many voters refused to publicly share who they had voted for. Others had no problem doing so.

“It is about time we have a woman in there, you [men] have messed it up!” said Anne, a Ward 5 resident who voted for former Secretary of State Clinton because of her gender.

Her son, Gerry, also voted, but for Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt). Although they disagreed on candidates, they amicably discussed their differing views.

“I have no problem with that. Bernie is from Brooklyn, I am from Brooklyn,” Anne said. “You men have had it long enough, don’t you think a woman deserves the job?”