Both University of Arizona students and community voters waited in line today at First United Methodist Church, sometimes waiting more than two hours, to cast their ballots.

There are no open polling locations on campus today, but the church on Fourth Street is the closest to the UA, with a line stretched around the building and through an alley between Grand Central Clothing and Fuku Sushi.  

Near the end of the line, UA sophomore and Army member Nico Nuez spoke on his after-election plans. 

“Probably just go to the library after this, go to the gym, and then I have more training to do for the military today,” Nuez said.

According to Nuez, the primary issues driving his vote were “Border, housing, economy, jobs — those are pretty much top four.”

Raul Garayzar, UA senior and pitcher for the Arizona Wildcats baseball team, expressed similar beliefs. Some important issues on the ballot for Garayzar include, “Immigration, the economy and just rights in general.”

“I play a sport here so it’s kind of easy to be calm with the stress, so it’s pretty normal,” Garayzar said. 

UA sophomore Shealyn Damolaris also expressed sentiments about staying calm during the tense voting season. Some helpful strategies for Damoralis are to, “Have outlets, so not always talking about the stuff going on right now, and having other people to talk to and keeping yourself occupied.”

Lilly Moreland, a UA junior from South Carolina, is casting her ballot away from home as a first-time voter. 

“I wasn’t expecting the line to be so long, but that’s my fault for procrastinating,” Moreland said. “I don’t know how the whole process works, so I’m interested to see how that goes.”

Moreland, as a first-time voter, prioritized conducting her own research on the candidates and issues on her ballot. 

“Just coming from family beliefs, and then my own, it’s like a balance of who we’re voting for but I did my own research,” Moreland said. 

Youri Leroy waited in line alongside Damoralis and Moreland and spoke about his Election Day feelings.  

“This is my second time in my life – I’m 32 years old – second time voting, so it feels good to have my voice be heard,” Leroy said. “I don’t feel stressed at all. I would be feeling stressed if I didn’t do my homework months leading up to this, but I feel good.”

Similarly to Moreland, Leroy also stressed the importance of voters conducting their own research and thinking independently when filling out their ballot. 

“I feel like everybody should do their own studies, should have done their own studies leading up to this day, and pick the choice for you, and not so much to please anybody else, because that’s what America is all about,” Leroy said.

There were also several volunteers handing out water and voting pamphlets for the parties they were supporting. 

Eddie Baron, a student at the UA and a Harris-Walz volunteer at First United Methodist Church, said: “I’m volunteering today because I think that this is a moment where we need to be all hands on deck, right? It’s gonna be so close, which is shocking, but it’s gonna be so close, and we need young people to turn out and show up. So I think it’s up to young people to come out and volunteer also.” 

Baron said he voted for climate change solutions, protecting reproductive rights and holding corporations accountable, all which he thought the Harris-Walz campaign would uphold.

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