(CNN) Hillary Clinton 4, Donald Trump 2, Gary Johnson 1 -- and a single write-in surprise: Mitt Romney.

With eight residents voting and five times as many reporters watching, Dixville Notch has spoken.

On a frigid night in the largely forgotten region about halfway between the Maine and Canadian borders, the small northern New Hampshire town came alive for several minutes of kitschy democratic conflict. This latest round of wee hours voting extends a tradition that traces back more than a half-century.

With the results in from Dixville Notch this long-awaited Election Day is officially underway, and sure as the Earth turns on its axis, the end of the 2016 presidential contest seems impossibly closer.

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