Editorial: Granite State invasion

Over the next five days, the president, his wife, the vice president, his wife, the Republican nominee for president and his wife will all come to New Hampshire in separate visits to rally support for their respective causes. All of these appearances are coming with the election nearly a week away. Swing state, indeed. 

Despite its small number of electoral votes compared to larger states (New Hampshire has four, compared to California’s 55), New Hampshire has long been a prized state for presidential candidates because of its fluctuating vote. It has not been a consistently red or blue state for more than a decade. It has voted with the winning candidate in four of the past five elections, the only exception being 2004, when John Kerry narrowly beat out George W. Bush for the popular vote in New Hampshire, 50 percent to 49 percent. It might be small, but New Hampshire matters. 

This influx of visits in the week leading up to the election shows the state’s importance to both President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney. Obama will be in Nashua on Saturday, while Romney is expected to visit Manchester on Tuesday. 

Michelle Obama will be here at UNH on Tuesday, campaigning on behalf of her husband. Ann Romney will be doing the same for her husband in New Hampshire on Monday. Dr. Jill Biden will be in a number of New Hampshire towns on Friday and Vice President Joe Biden will travel to the Granite State on Monday. 

Most polls have Obama barely leading Romney among likely New Hampshire voters. The state is a “toss-up,” according to RealClearPolitics.com. Like most recent elections, it won’t be clear which way the vote will swing in New Hampshire up until the final ballot is counted on Nov. 6. 

As usual, the vote of college students could have a massive impact on the election, especially in New Hampshire. Whether you are originally from New Hampshire or are declaring Durham your domicile now that you reside at UNH, your vote will undoubtedly matter in this upcoming election. That is because you are not voting in a state that is already largely decided. New Hampshire’s four electoral votes are up for grabs and the candidates are going all in on the Granite State.  Do not be the person who didn’t vote because you thought your voice didn’t matter. Every vote counts, especially in the fickle state of New Hampshire.