Biden's not on the ballot in New Hampshire's primary, but Dems still want him to win. Here's how.

When New Hampshire Democrats head to the polls on Tuesday, President Joe Biden's name won't be listed on their ballots.

That's the biggest indication of how little the primary, technically, will matter to the Democrats' nominating process.

Instead, a highly unusual competition is playing out in the state where Democrats either hope to show up for Biden via a write-in campaign, back one of his two long shot challengers or show that he was wrong to spurn the small Northeastern state that has gone first on the calendar for decades.

The conflict — and, to some, confusion — began when the Democratic National Committee shook up its 2024 presidential nominating calendar, selecting South Carolina as the first-in-the-nation primary, a move backed by Biden but contrary to state law, which New Hampshire officials, led by Republicans, declined to change.

This rendered Tuesday's contest non-compliant with the national party's rules and led the DNC to call the primary «meaningless.»

Biden declined to put his name on the ballot and no delegates to earn the Democratic nomination, which are usually won based on voters' preferences in each primary or caucus, will be awarded based on Tuesday's results.

Delegates aside, Biden's performance on Tuesday is nonetheless seen by some Democrats as influential in showing that he is a popular competitor in a state that's historically swung between both parties, said Gates MacPherson, a former political strategist with ties to New Hampshire.

«It will set a tone for the rest of the cycle,» MacPherson told ABC News. «It's really, really important that President Biden can show support and momentum in a state like New Hampshire.»

Biden's challengers in the primary, Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and author