NASHUA – On Feb. 11, Democrats in Nashua and throughout New Hampshire will decide among:

• Liberals such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren;

• Newcomers such as Pete Buttigieg or Tom Steyer;

• Moderates such as Joe Biden;

• Outsiders such as Andrew Yang and Tulsi Gabbard;

• Or those who fall somewhere in the middle, such as Amy Klobuchar, Cory Booker, Julian Castro, Michael Bennet, Deval Patrick and John Delaney.

Tuesday, Nashua Board of Aldermen members voted for polls throughout the city to be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the day of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary (#FITN).

Alderman-At-Large Ben Clemons, who earlier this week officially endorsed Buttigieg, said he appreciates the fact the city is keeping the polls open during these times. Clemons recognizes many people living in Nashua are not always around during the day to vote.

“I know it’s a long day for the City Clerk and our poll workers, but Nashua is a commuter town,” Clemons said.

He understands that many wake up early in the morning to leave for work, often to either Boston or Manchester, and do not get back to Nashua until the evening.

Because Nashua’s polling window extends throughout the day for 14 hours of operation, Alderwoman Mary Ann Melizzi-Golja encourages people who are interested in volunteering, even if it is for a short time, to contact the City Clerk Susan Lovering.

The City Clerk’s Office can be reached at 603-589-3010.

“We don’t have a great absentee ballot law in New Hampshire, so my only request would be that some of our legislators can work on trying to get – make voting easier for people who may or may not be in the city at that time, but until that happens. I think we’re doing the right thing by keeping it open from (6 a.m. to 8 p.m.),” Clemons said.

The estimated cost for this upcoming Presidential Primary election is just over $36,000 available within the City Clerk Department’s budget. Additionally, residents can find their respective polling locations on the Nashua City website.

Debates

According to the Associated Press, Democrats will conduct four primary debates in each of the early primary states as voting gets underway next year, with some of the debates scheduled for just days before voters head to the polls, the Democratic National Committee announced in an email to campaigns Thursday.

The first primary debate of the new year will be Jan. 14 in Des Moines, Iowa, about three weeks before Democrats make their first primary preferences known in the state’s caucuses.

The next debate is scheduled for Feb. 7 in Manchester, just four days before voters head to the polls in the state’s primary.

Democrats will debate in Las Vegas on Feb. 19, three days before the caucuses there, and they’ll meet for a debate in Charleston, South Carolina, on Feb. 25, four days before that state’s Democratic primary.

The upcoming debates include a few new partnerships beyond the traditional media outlets. The Congressional Black Caucus will co-host the Charleston debate, and Twitter will also be a partner there. Apple News will be a co-host for the New Hampshire debate.

The DNC will announce qualification criteria for the debates later.

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