WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th February, 2020) New Hampshire voters head to the polls on Tuesday to cast ballots in the second contest of the presidential Primary race, coming a week after the Iowa Caucus which was plagued by irregularities on the Democratic side.
New Hampshire, located on the northeastern coast of the United States, is among the ten smallest US states with a population of 1.3 million. However, despite its diminutive size, the New Hampshire primary often helps set the tone for the remainder of the campaign.
Polling stations across the small and mountainous US state will open between 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. EST (11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. GMT) and will close between 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m, according to the New Hampshire secretary of state's office.
Senator Bernie Sanders and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigeig have been leading the field in New Hampshire, according to pre-election surveys, the same two candidates who came out on top in Iowa. The results in Iowa, controversially, came out five days late due to problems counting the vote.
In the average of three most recent polls, Sanders is leading with 28% of the vote followed by Buttigieg who has captured on average 21 percent. Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar has surprisingly performed well, garnering on average 12 percent of the three most recent polls, according to realclearpolitics.com which summarizes all polling figures.
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Elizabeth Warren have been lagging in polls in New Hampshire with around 11 percent of the vote each.
The main issues for voters in the state according to polls and reports have been extending health care and providing economic relief for its impoverished citizens.
The New Hampshire state Democratic Party only awards 33 delegates for the nominating convention in Milwaukee from July 13 to July 16, of whom 24 will be allocated on the basis of the results of the primary. At least 1,990 pledged delegates are required to win the Democratic nomination.
The Iowa caucuses, which go back in their present form nearly 180 years, suffered widespread ridicule and unprecedented skepticism this year because of alleged phone application problems that caused a 5-day delay in finalizing the vote count.
The Republican Party is also holding a primary in New Hampshire although incumbent President Donald Trump is widely expected to win by large margins. An Economist/YouGov poll released last week saw Trump with 88 percent of the vote in the race to become the Republican nominee.
