Like many journalists, Justin Garcia had a big assignment on Tuesday: cover Election Day.
Garcia, the only dedicated reporter at The Las Cruces Bulletin, was at his first polling center around 9 a.m. He hoped to interview voters for the weekly community newspaper based in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
“My goal is to do a temperature check on just how things were going,” Garcia said, “And yeah, the temperature is hot.”
The reporter was unable to get any voter to speak with him on the record. At the Doña Ana County Government Center in Las Cruces, Garcia snapped a photo of a long line of people waiting to vote. He then posted it on X, with the note: “Big big line at the Gov center. Also, I am striking out on voter interviews. Asked 10 people if they wanted to be interviewed and all 10 said no. Fair to say that tensions are high.”
By the time Garcia spoke with Poynter shortly after 2 p.m. Tuesday, he had already visited three polling centers and had no on-the-record interviews to show for it.
Garcia said he hasn’t been in journalism that long, but in the handful of elections he’s covered, this is the first time people have refused to talk to him for a story. He said he also spoke with other people outside the polling centers, not for his story, and found they also reported feeling tension.
“I think it’s because of the nature of the election,” he said, adding that people feel there is a lot at stake.
Las Cruces is an hour from the New Mexico-Texas border, and an hour from the U.S.-Mexico border. “So on two major issues in this election — on abortion and immigration — we’re kind of at the nexus point, a little bit, for that.”
There’s a lot of tension around some of those issues, Garcia said. “And I think that’s leading to people just wanting to kind of get their vote over with.”
In Lawrence, Indiana, Sia Nyorkor was assigned to report on what was happening at the polls before they opened, as they opened, and after they opened. Nyorkor is the 13News Sunrise reporter for WTHR-TV, the NBC television affiliate in Indianapolis. She arrived at a polling location at around 4 a.m. Tuesday.
“We were right there when they opened the doors, and it was really a beautiful sight to see because someone came to the door — a poll worker — and she said, ‘The polls are officially open at 6 a.m. Welcome to Lawrence, Indiana!’” Nyorkor said. “And the first person in line was a gentleman, and he said, ‘Let’s do it!’ And then everybody marched in.”
The Emmy and award-winning journalist said about 60 people were lined up outside the polling site. It was about 65 degrees Tuesday morning, which Nyorkor said is unusual for November in Indiana. “And so people felt really good, and they were talkative. They were pleasant. They were conversing with each other,” she said. “I actually reported on air that I felt ‘good vibes’ from this polling location. Good vibes.”
Nyorkor said that, at this location, poll workers rang a cowbell whenever there was a first-time voter. Everyone cheered, she said.
The journalist said she approached a young man who was casting his vote for the first time. She asked if, after voting, would he come and talk to her for a few minutes? She had a live report coming up.
“And I’m telling you, the news gods just lined up, and miraculously, he was done voting by the time it was time for me to hit air. And so I was able to get him on the air,” she said. “And he was very emotional. He told me that while he was in the booth, his heart started racing, and he felt emotional voting, because he knew of the responsibility. He knew what he was doing was important.”
Nyorkor said she had to hold it together on air. She could tell it really meant something to him, to be doing that civic duty.
Her shift was over by the time she spoke with Poynter shortly before 2 p.m. By then, Nyorkor had reported through her station’s noon broadcast, and stayed at the polling site for about six hours to make sure everything went smoothly.
Nyorkor was headed home to get some rest. She was due back at work a little after midnight. “If the last few elections are an indicator, we won’t know anything in the morning,” she said. “So it’s going to be a challenge, but we still have to get the information to our viewers.”
Back in New Mexico, Garcia said he planned to try again to talk to voters later in the day — this time a new crop of voters. Working during an election is one of his favorite times to be a reporter, he added.
“I think as journalists, we talk a lot about our work being essential, but this is when I really feel that — during the election,” he said. “And, you know, this year has been a little bit different just because of the temperature of everything. But still, I think it’s extremely important work.”
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