New Hampshire--
it's the state always asking Vermont to do something
about the weed smell.
But, today, they were the state
holding the second Democratic primary.
And because, normally, the most exciting thing to do
in New Hampshire is watch mountains grow,
Election Day gets the people going like nothing else.
After months of campaigning
and millions of dollars in TV ads,
it all comes down to this,
voters here in New Hampshire already heading to the polls.
Overnight in New Hampshire,
the first votes were cast in the Granite State.
As they've done for decades,
the tiny town of Dixville Notch went to the polls at midnight.
We were in Exeter, New Hampshire,
at the town hall there.
It was beyond capacity.
People have been coming in here all day.
They've been lined up since 5:00 a.m. this morning.
They vote for sport here in New Hampshire.
-I voted for Warren. -Steyer.
Why?
He's cute.
No, he seems like he can tackle Trump.
I voted for Bernie.
Um, I voted for Amy Klobuchar.
-Tell me why. -Uh, I actually went in
-and eeny-meeny-miny-moe'd it. -You're kidding me.
-No. Between two candidates. -Literally, in the booth.
-In the booth. -Whoa.
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe?
That's not how you should pick your potential future president,
although it is how the president picks
his spray tan shade for the day.
He's like, "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.
"Ooh, crème brûlée. Sounds fancy.
So fancy."
So, New Hampshire voters spent the day carefully deciding
who they want to be the Democratic nominee.
But, of course, none of the votes matter
if they aren't counted correctly.
(coughs) Iowa. Luckily,
according to state officials,
they've got this thing under control.
New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner,
he told us he slept well last night
and today's voting will be simple and secure.
Keep it simple.
Keep the moving parts the smallest number you can.
Could this be hacked in any way?
You can't hack a pencil.
How many apps do you have involved in this process?
Oh, oh, we don't have any apps involved
in any of the tabulating or the counting.
-No apps. -No apps.
It's an app-free election.
-You can guarantee that? -Yes.
You know, it's funny how, a few years ago,
people were like, "Guys, we need to vote with our phones.
It's the future." But now, thanks to the disaster in Iowa,
it's like, "We're going back
"to how our forefathers did this, okay?
Everyone gets one rock and we put it in a jar."
"Yeah!"
"Then our slaves count the rocks."
"What?" "Oh, too far back? Too far? Sorry, sorry.
Too far back."
For more on New Hampshire's big day,
we go now to our correspondent who is live
in the Granite State right now,
Michael Kosta, everybody!
(cheering and applause)
Michael, you're on the ground in New Hampshire.
What is the energy like?
Hey, Trevor, I am not gonna lie.
Today's been pretty stressful for the Democratic candidates.
In fact, Joe Biden was so tense,
he gave himself a surprise massage.
-You know what I mean? -Well, it makes sense, Kosta,
because, thanks to Iowa,
there's so much more riding on this primary.
Not only that but the candidates have had only one week
to completely change their cultural messaging.
Because Iowa is mostly white people,
but New Hampshire is mostly...
white people.
Kosta, I don't-- I don't get the difference.
It sounds like both states are just a bunch of white people.
Wow, Trevor, "just a bunch of white people"?
That is so insulting.
First off, it's not a bunch.
The collective noun for white people
is a gluten of white people.
And, second, white people are not a monolith.
We are a rich tapestry of ethnic diversity.
Let-let me show you on my Caucasian color wheel, okay?
Now, see, the...
the New Hampshire white people fall here
in the eggshell section,
while the Iowa whites are all the way over here
in the oatmeal cream section.
Uh, Kosta, that's just basically a blank circle.
(stammers) White is not blank, Trevor.
Zero is not nothing.
"Free to go" is not "innocent of all charges."
Although you do-- you do hear that a lot when you're white.
I mean, how-how would you feel
if I said there was no difference between black people
in South Africa and black people in... (stammers)
What's another country with black people?
Well, there's this one.
(stammers) Thiswan?
I never heard of it. But I'm sure
Thiswan is a beautiful country!
Okay, look, Kosta, I'm not saying there's no difference.
I just don't understand how the candidates campaign differently
in New Hampshire versus Iowa.
It's a totally different ball game.
For-for example, in Iowa,
you can say, "It's great to be here in Iowa,"
but that's not gonna fly in New Hampshire.
Yeah, you're right. That does seem like a challenge.
And then there's the voters.
Remember, you're talking to very different groups of people.
Iowans are rural,
while New Hampshirites are not urban, okay?
Iowans, Iowans are blue-collar,
but New Hampshirians are working-class.
Plus, Iowans call it pop,
and New Hampshirinos call it soda.
They're-they're basically different planets.
I don't know about that, Michael.
A lot of people don't agree with your assessment.
For instance, how would you respond to the criticism
that these predominantly white states
aren't the best states to kick off the primaries?
Because these candidates could be starting
in a more representative state of the country,
like-like California or Florida.
I hear what you're saying, Trevor, and yes,
Iowa and New Hampshire are white, but hear me out.
They're also boring as hell, okay?
-(laughter) -And that's what we want.
We don't want our candidates going to fun states,
like Florida or California.
If you got to spend a year campaigning in Miami,
everyone would be running for president.
-(laughter) -But if you're willing to spend a year
eating bland food in subzero temperatures,
pretending to care about how big a pumpkin is,
that's how I know you really want to be president, okay?
And that's why the road to the White House
has to go through here, Des Moines, Iowa.
No, Kosta, you're in New Hampshire.
What? Eh, who cares?
These places are all the (bleep) same anyway.
Michael Kosta, everybody.