Lawmakers to decide secretary of state race by secret ballot
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It all comes down to a secret ballot.
After nine months in the making, state lawmakers will decide Wednesday whether longtime incumbent Bill Gardner or challenger Colin Van Ostern will serve the next two years as New Hampshire’s secretary of state. No record will be kept how each elected official voted since the decision will be made on nondescript paper ballots.
The race between Gardner, known across the country as one of the chief guardians of New Hampshire’s treasured century-old status as host of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary, and Van Ostern, a former executive councilor and 2016 Democratic gubernatorial nominee who’s running to modernize the office, has dominated headlines in the state and also grabbed national attention.