Today’s Sunday Telegraph contains our in-depth 2020 Primary Election Guide, featuring eight presidential candidates who answered a variety of questions on issues that face not only the Granite State, but also the nation as a whole.

This guide is part of The Telegraph’s comprehensive coverage leading up to New Hampshire’s First-In-The-Nation Primary. After more than 200 news articles and accompanying photos in the pages of our newspaper, we know regular readers of The Telegraph are poised to make an informed decision this Tuesday at the polls.

New Hampshire, with the first primary, always is thrust into the national spotlight in opening the country’s presidential voting, often making or breaking presidential bids that are months or even years on the campaign trial. State residents take this role very seriously, attending numerous campaign events for a multitude of candidates who know a win in New Hampshire provides necessary momentum in the quest to secure a party’s nomination.

Unlike the Iowa caucus, which comes first on the calendar, the New Hampshire Primary measures the number of votes each candidate directly receives rather than through precinct delegates. That latter system was disastrous this year for Iowa. Its recent caucus was complicated by new technology that horribly failed and delayed any type of meaningful results for days – calling Iowa’s integrity, accuracy and relevance of its caucus into question.

Perhaps that is why New Hampshire always has been fiercely protective of its primary voting process. Unlike, Iowa, New Hampshire never would gamble with something held so dear, so much so that voting first in the nation is written into the state’s code.

In New Hampshire, the task of overseeing the election falls to the Secretary of State’s Office. Integrity of the voting process is protected by the use of paper ballots, the majority of which are processed through optical scanners for counting, with the remaining ballots still hand-counted one precious vote at a time.

Granite Staters are very aware of the heavy weight of responsibility that comes with each individual’s vote. That’s why The Telegraph serves as a community resource, hosting town halls and publishing the election guide like we have prepared today.

We believe in our primary. We stand by our state’s process. We reaffirm its relevance and that, despite New Hampshire’s noted lack of ethnic diversity, our voters are excellent predictors of how the rest of America likely will weigh in at the polls.

Since 1952, five Democratic and five Republican winners in New Hampshire have gone on to occupy the Oval Office. These Commanders in Chief were: Democrats John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama; and Republicans Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard M. Nixon, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush.

Not only are our state’s voters shrewd, knowledgeable and able to sort through the smoke-and-mirror tactics of politicians, they represent the common man. That’s a factor often ignored by mainstream national media, pollsters and political pundits. Our great state has strong agriculture, roots in manufacturing, segments of the technology sector and aerospace defense.

Towns separated by only miles, often are miles apart when it comes to political views and how they staunchly define their values and beliefs. This is why New Hampshire voters so often reflect the pulse of America. Our diversity isn’t in the ethnicity of our residents, but rather in the expansive representation of their viewpoints.

With that in mind, we want our informed Telegraph readers and all eligible voters in the New Hampshire to exercise their constitutional right to vote. In being first in the nation, their vote really is in service to their country.

The Telegraph is proud to celebrate this time-honored tradition of our First-In-The-Nation Primary. It’s one that remains relevant and vital to the United States of America.

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