Portsmouth cigar shop’s matchbook poll a primary tradition

(unionleader.com) For nearly 30 years, a wall of Federal Cigar has been covered in paper bags a month before the Presidential primary — and this year is no different.
Leonard Seagren started the traditional New Hampshire primary matchbook poll in 1984, allowing New Hampshire voters to cast ballots for all of the presidential primary candidates, from the frontrunners to the unknowns, by simply dropping a matchbook into a paper bag.
The “Federal Forecast” gained attention, and the likes of Gary Hart, Rudy Giuliani and Donald Trump have visited the store on Ladd Street during the month-long poll. Continued

Photo courtesy of the National Cigar History Museum