Record NH turnout, but not for Democrats
Bernie Sanders said "huge" turnout propelled him to victory in New Hampshire's Democratic presidential primary — but election officials say Republicans have higher numbers to celebrate.
About 532,000 New Hampshire residents voted this week, not including votes for write-in candidates, according to numbers from the New Hampshire Secretary of State's Office.
“We definitely set a record," said David Scanlan, deputy secretary of state.
New Hampshire has more registered Republicans than registered Democrats, but an even greater portion of the electorate lacks party affiliation and can choose either ballot at the polls.
First-time voters are allowed to register at the last minute on election day.
New Hampshire residents cast a record-breaking 282,804 Republican ballots on Tuesday.
Big turnout, scarce parking in Hanover, NH
Democratic turnout was 249,215, lower than New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner had predicted, and lower than the record Democratic turnout in 2008 that gave Hillary Clinton the victory over Barack Obama and John Edwards.
Sanders, an independent U.S. senator from Vermont, often tells his audiences that Democrats and progressives benefit from high turnout.
“Because of a huge voter turnout ... we won," Sanders said in his New Hampshire victory speech. "Because we harnessed the energy and the excitement that the Democratic Party will need to succeed in November.”
Sanders won the primary in a landslide, more than 22 percentage points ahead of Clinton.
Turnout caused headaches and long lines in some parts of New Hampshire.
The town of Merrimack kept its one polling station open late — closing the line at 8 p.m. rather than 7 p.m. — because of an election-night traffic jam.
Scanlan, the deputy secretary of state, said he knew of no other towns that needed to extend their polling hours because of long lines.
“Anybody that was in line when the polls closed was able to vote," Scanlan said.
This article was first published online Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. Contact April Burbank at 802-660-1863 or aburbank@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/AprilBurbank