New Hampshire is notoriously known for its cold temperatures, beautiful mountains as well as being the “Granite State” with a high caucasian population of 93.03%, according to the World Population Review. Every four years when the primaries come around; New Hampshire is a diverse place to be a part of. This time of year, the state’s motto, “Live Free or Die ” is heavily implemented while a resident is voting for their candidate. With New Hampshire being the first to kick off the primary season, every American pays close attention to what is going on in New Hampshire. With an Independent percentage of 42%, according to NBC News. The vote is always up in the air and no one can predict what will happen in New Hampshire.
The beauty of the New Hampshire Primary is that it allows voters to relate and speak with candidates on a more personal and real level. Upon attending various events and interviewing people of all sorts of political backgrounds, there was a huge influx of international men and women. The questions arose, why are international tourists attending the New Hampshire primary? How do they benefit from witnessing the American electoral process?
“I feel like I can relate to Yang on a personal level. He is different. I just like him,” said David Vu, of Vietnam, 26.
“My family and I are on vacation for the primaries. The United States is an interesting place to be, but even more interesting when primary time comes around,” said Jeanea Brown, of Ireland, 46.
“My brother and I love running around all parts of New Hampshire, listening in to all of the events. We know it does not directly affect us, it’s just fun,” said Daniel Bents, of Belgium, 31.
Finding out how these international tourists felt about the New Hampshire primary and what it meant to them personally, led to more questions. Would or do Americans travel to international countries during election season for leisure or because they are really passionate about a potential international leader? Is this a normality? Are Americans missing out?
“I personally wouldn’t do that, but I think it’s cool that others do,” said Megan Walsh, of New Hampshire, 18.
“I mean maybe I would if I really liked the person, but it all depends. But I don’t see myself doing that anytime soon,” said Alex Palmeri, of New Hampshire, 19.
People from various parts of the world come to New Hampshire to watch the primaries for many reasons. Aside from some being diehard supporters, others find leisure within the unique process. Others even plan to spend their one vacation a year around the primary.
“Since 1980 My brother and I have come down and run all around New Hampshire for little. With all of the driving time on our hands, it gives us a lot of time to catch up. Listening to the candidates, we form opinions and debrief them. That’s really it. It’s like an escape from reality,” said Bruce Vorhees, of Canada, 36.
“I started to follow politics during the Nixon impeachment when I was just a kid. I was born in the United States but moved to Canada some time ago. My friend and I have been to every primary since we left the United States. We cross the border and watch every town hall and event the primary has to offer. We listen to every candidate and stay neutral because at the end of the day it doesn’t affect our lives much. But it affects a lot of our family that lives in the United States and we find it extremely interesting,” said Andrew, of Canada, 56.
Aside from leisure and people being diehard fans to these political candidates, the United States primary has economic implications on the world. According to VOX, “the US economy is also affected by its trade and financial linkages with the rest of the world. Global economic developments play an important role in driving activity and financial markets in the US.” It is important to understand the real-life implications of the United States primary because ultimately these policies can affect the homelands of international tourists that are traveling from other continents to view the New Hampshire primary. “Even in the absence of actual policy changes, heightened uncertainty driven by financial market volatility or ambiguity about the direction and scope of US policies could discourage investment both in the US and in the rest of the world” according to VOX.
Although some Americans may not be on board with spending their only vacation time in a foreign land during election season, some international tourists may feel as if they are missing out. Being able to watch a country during a time of election is a vital part of understanding and seeing how the country operates as a whole. Ultimately every election within the world affects every person one way or another.
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