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Reporting from presidential elections in New Hampshire, US - EXCLUSIVE - PHOTOSESSION

Reporting from presidential elections in New Hampshire, US - <font color=red> EXCLUSIVE - PHOTOSESSION </font>

06 November 2012 17:16 (UTC +04:00)

APAâ€™s special correspondent reports from the US that at 08:00 oâ€™clock by local time presidential elections started as the first poll stations opened in New Hampshire.

New Hampshire is one of the "swing" states, and the voting in this state may impact on the overall results of the elections in the country.

On November 6, people in New Hampshire are electing not only president but also the state governor, congressional representative, senator of New Hampshire and the sheriff.

As November 6 is a working day in the United States, voter turnout is high early in the morning and after 4:00.

Population of Keene usually sympathize with Democrats. Today, the majority of voters polled said that they voted for Barack Obama.
Keene resident Ruth Jacobs said concern for the womenâ€™s rights and future brought her to the polling station and she voted for the Democratic candidate, Barack Obama.

"I voted for Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama. He is a good president. He defends the rights of all people and he copes with his task", - R. Jacobs said.

College student Mariah Reed said that despite the fact that her whole family supports Republicans before the election she changed her mind and voted for B. Obama: "I attentively watched all these days the election campaigns of the candidates, and it seemed to me that the Republicans are focusing on issues of unemployment. Obamaâ€™s speech convinced me more."

Keene resident R. Josh said that although majority of the city supports Democrats, he came to the polls to vote for M. Romney.

John Tonner also voted for the Republican candidate. "For many years I did not go to the polls, but this time decided to come, Medicare reform and Social Security issues made me come to the polls", - he said

Kyle Vassel came to the polls to vote against all candidates. He said that he did not have confidence in any of the candidates. "In 2008, I voted for Obama, and now I am disappointed and decided to vote against all", - he said.

Electoral campaign in US continues even on Election Day. There is only one limitation - on the day of voting, booklets and brochures calling to vote for a particular candidate can be distirbuted at a certain distance from the polling station (about 8-10 meters from the entrance to the station.) In the U.S., the voter may voluntarily choose the ballot or an electronic voting machine to vote. In New Hampshire, traditionally the majority of voters prefer the ballot.

This year, for the first time in the state of New Hampshire ID card is demanded in this election. It can be any document with a photograph, for example, even a driving license. If a voter can not confirm his/her identity, he/she will be given the so-called conditional ballot (Â«provisional ballotsÂ»), in which the voter has to fill in personal data (address, social security number, etc.), and his/her voice will be accepted after confirmation of the data.

This innovation displeases some voters. Dr. Marianne Salsetti of Keene State University believes that it violates the rights of the poor, who not always have the necessary documents.

However, most respondents said they did not experience any problems because of this change. "Most of people living here have a driving license, so it would not make much difference. This is just extra precautions in the voting", he said.