Steller: For earnest Tucson voters, duty calls

You know the campaign was long and ugly.

You know many people were disgusted with their choices for president — you may be one of them.

What you may not appreciate is how earnestly your fellow citizens took this election despite all that disappointment.

I set out at 5:45 a.m. Tuesday to capture as much of the election as I could, across as much of the Tucson area as I could reach.

For me Monday had been a day of anxious, almost sick anticipation of Tuesday. But after about 120 miles of driving and around 28 interviews at polling places, I arrived home feeling much better, no matter what happens.

Here are some of the people and moments that stand out.

6:30 a.m., Passion Church,

1212 S. Palo Verde Ave.

Kristin Carter, 30, arrived in the dark to avoid the lines in her neighborhood south of Reid Park. Instead, she was about 30th in line, standing there in the pre-dawn chill in her slippers.

She’s pregnant and anxious and suffering from voter fatigue. But she made her husband indulge her this early trip so she could carry out her practice of waiting till Election Day to vote for president — her choice, Hillary Clinton.

Ismael Garcia beat her by about an hour. He arrived at 5:15 a.m., when poll workers were just setting up, he told me.

It was the 21-year-old’s first presidential election, and he was excited.

“It’s every U.S. citizen’s responsibility to vote,” he said.

His choice, he said: Trump and Pence. His reason: Their tax plans. Now those were answers I hadn’t seen coming.

7:15 a.m., Littletown Community Center,

6465 S. Craycroft Road

Brian Munoz and his daughter, Mercedes, leaned over the hood of their car, spread their ballots out and took pens in hand. They had early ballots, but it was Mercedes’ first time voting. Her dad didn’t want her to miss the excitement of the polling place.

They went inside to turn the ballots in, then came out and joined Munoz’s partner, Felix Canez. It was just past dawn, and the Clinton supporters took a family selfie in the golden light.

“It was my first time,” said Mercedes, 18. “I’ve been waiting for this all my life.”

8 a.m., Christ Lutheran Vail Church,

14600 E. Colossal Cave Road

The wind was starting to pick up, and the celebratory mood of earlier in the morning started to crack. One man gruffly refused to talk, another refused to give his name, and before I left, the poll workers threatened to call police on me.

Casey Stockdale, 64, had already voted but showed up to deliver food to her partner, a poll worker. Stockdale, a Clinton supporter, was worried.

“I’ve never been so on edge about an election before,” she said. “My hope is that people will accept the outcome. My fear is that won’t happen.”

Her concerns might have been lightened if she’d spoken to fellow Vail voters Angelica Gonzalez, 53, and her daughter Raquel, 24.

“It was a really great experience,” Raquel said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been as informed as I am this year.”

She and her mom are Trump supporters, but they’ll take whatever comes as God’s way, Angelica said. Depending on other people for your contentment will only lead to disappointment.

After I finished interviewing them, poll workers pointed out I was inside the 75-foot limit out in the parking lot — it was hard for me to tell. They threatened to call police, but I was done.

9 a.m., Sahuarita Baptist Church,

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2875 E. Sahuarita Road

Ash Bose, 58, is a naturalized U.S. citizen, originally from India. But that isn’t what gave him his appreciation of the election this year.

What made the IBM engineer see this election with new eyes was spending nine years on assignment in China, ending in 2015.

“China is single-party rule. I think I can value democracy more by being in China where the rights of individuals are minimal,” he said. “This time, I really appreciate the power of the individual.”

After I spoke with Bose, Kevin Hawley, 50, came out. He had taken the better part of 30 minutes to vote.

“Tough day,” he said. “Both parties have some good ideas, and they’ve also done some bad things. It’s hard to overlook the things you know about.”

10 a.m., San Xavier District,

2018 W. San Xavier Road

The wind is howling, knocking down the temporary voting signs, blowing dust into the eyes of anyone outside. And I had to stand there, waiting for voters.

First, poll workers showed me where the 75-foot limit was, then later they called the Tohono O’odham police. Since I was on sovereign territory, I needed permission of the district chairman to do interviews there, the officers said.

I went over to the district office, but of course, the chairman was out sick. And the vice chairman was unavailable. I left, and two hours later they called me with approval.

11 a.m., Countryside Community Center,

9151 N. Bald Eagle Ave.

“I’m embarrassed to be an American,” Steve Gerk said after voting.

The only reason he came out this year was to vote yes on Prop. 205, the marijuana legalization initiative. A fibromyalgia patient, he uses medical marijuana but says it’s too expensive to re-up prescriptions annually and buy the costly dispensary pot.

Fellow voter Eric Lopez, 43, was all about the presidential election, calling it “one of the most important elections we’ll see.” His enthusiastic vote went to Trump, though he acknowledged the vote comes with risks.

“Trump is a wild card,” he said.

Lopez asked me intently about my vote, which went to Clinton, and wondered if I’ve watched any YouTube videos by InfoWars. He said they’re warning of a military coup if Clinton is elected. But Lopez was open to my caution that InfoWars is not a dependable news source.

His fellow voter, Daniela Contreras, 22, was equally enthusiastic — for Clinton.

“Yeah, I’m pretty excited,” she said.

1 p.m., El Rio Neighborhood Center,

1390 W. Speedway

Just when I needed a shot of positivity, Alvaro Hernandez came striding out of El Rio, barely able to contain his smile. The 18-year-old Pima Community College student had studied the candidates and watched one debate.

He was not satisfied with the options, but nevertheless cast his first presidential vote for Clinton in an “anyone but Trump” spirit.

“I’ve always wanted to vote since I was little,” he said. “It felt good.”

2 p.m., Glad Tidings Assembly of God Church,

600 N. Kolb Road

He did it: Doug Holm, 73, walked into his polling place with a clothespin on his nose. He wore it while voting, and he wore it back out to his car.

“The choices stink,” joked Holm, a Republican. But, he added more seriously, “I have to do my duty.”