Last night at midnight, CNN and Fox News went live in an hour that is usually in tape to cover the first votes being cast in the New Hampshire primary. The vote–cast in the small town of Dixville Notch–is the cable news equivalent of the world’s largest ball of twine: it exists solely to generate attention and visitors, but as long as you are in the area, you may as well take a look.
In this case, the completely meaningless results had Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman tied with two votes, one vote each for Ron Paul and Newt Gingrich, and three votes for President Obama in the Democratic primary.
Some cable news talent and executives noted that these were the very first votes cast in the 2012 election season. Yes, that’s right, the Iowa Caucus didn’t really count as the results are non-binding. New Hampshire is the real start to the 2012 election.
Tune in now to watch the Dixville Notch, NH voters cast first votes of the 2012 presidential election. #CNNElections.
— Sam Feist (@SamFeistCNN) January 10, 2012
Watch CNN’s report from Dixville Notch, after the jump.