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Published April 28, 2016
Tuesday’s vote in New Hampshire marks the 100th anniversary of the first-in-the-nation primary.
“New Hampshire’s … primary is a cherished responsibility for Granite Staters that reflects and informs who we are,” New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan told Fox News.
So why is New Hampshire first, and why is it such a big deal?
According to the governor, New Hampshire was “the first to truly recognize that direct citizen involvement in the nomination process makes for better presidential candidates –and better presidents.”
The New Hampshire primary traditionally has been first for the last century, a position that was sealed into law in 1975 by New Hampshire's secretary of state – holding that New Hampshire’s primary would fall at least seven days before any other.
Here are some other fast facts:
“The primary originated because we wanted to get rid of what was essentially a caucus,” said Neil Levesque, executive director of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics and chairman of the New Hampshire Primary 100th Anniversary Commission. “We wanted to give power to the people. That is a tradition that still holds true today –the primary is about the people”
Levesque explained one of the ways the state’s primary anniversary commission is celebrating the 100th birthday on Tuesday – they replicated the ballot box from the first primary in 1916, which existed in the New Hampshire State House, to serve as a time capsule. Students, voters, and candidates alike can submit notes and letters to be reviewed another 100 years from now.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-hampshire-primary-turns-100-fast-facts-on-the-granite-state-contest