Thousands of San Diego County voters braved long lines to cast ballots for president, Senate and a slew of local races on Tuesday, the last day of a turbulent election that many described as their duty to participate in. And thousands who had already voted were nervously awaiting its outcome. Pacific Highlands resident Mike Waters told the Union-Tribune he was feeling “a combination of serenity and terror” on Election Day. He said the serenity came from knowing that, whoever wins the presidency, there’s still work to do. At both San Ysidro pedestrian ports of entry, among the thousands of daily border-crossers were some U.S. citizens lining up to cross and vote. Chula Vista resident Cristina Ríos, 60, stays in Tijuana half the week to care for her father. This Tuesday, she crossed the border back home just to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris — “because a woman needs to become president,” she said. “I think she has good morals, good qualities,” said Ríos, a registered Republican who has voted for Democrats in the last three presidential elections. “I go with what I feel is right for me and my beliefs,” she added before crossing through PedWest. Matilde Levy, 57, tried to cross with her husband by car or by foot, but when she saw the long line, she opted for a $10 bus service to get across faster. “I don’t think that the country is going well right now, and I think it’s important to have a voice,” she said outside the PedEast crossing. She said she was voting for former President Donald Trump. “Not all of us, Latinos or immigrants, are against Donald Trump,” she said. A Republican, she said she and her husband moved to Mexico after 25 years in San Diego County because of the economy. “It’s cheaper there,” she said. In addition to the highest-profile race, local voters are also deciding the fate of 10 statewide ballot measures, a countywide half-cent transportation sales tax increase and a slew of legislative races and local measures, depending on where they live. On Tuesday morning, Jamie and Afshin Karimi turned up at the vote center at the Encinitas Community Center motivated by local issues. “The presidential race in California has already been decided,” Jamie said. “But there is a bond called Z that will help fix things in the Encinitas (Union) School District. And we want to be able to tell our kids that we voted.” Afshin nodded. “We want to do our civic duty.” At the San Diego County Registrar of Voters in San Diego, voters cast their ballots on Tuesday. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune) More than 200 vote centers across the county closed at 8 p.m., except for those voters already waiting in line. As a brilliant orange and blue sunset gave way to night, a steady stream of voters continued to trickle into the San Diego County Registrar of Voters’ building to drop off their mail-in ballots or vote in person during the final hour of voting. “It feels like it’s more authentic,” said Dayton Bettencourt, 25, of casting her ballot in person. She said she’s voted in every election since she was 18. For Bettencourt, the presidential election was not her main driver. “I’m more concerned about mayor,” she said, noting that her vote would likely go against incumbent Todd Gloria. But both she and her friend Moriah Dowell — who was voting in her first election, casting a ballot for Harris — were anticipating the end of the election season, even if the final results won’t be known for several days. “I’m scared to see what the day will be like tomorrow,” Bettencourt said. Voting by mail remained the overwhelming choice for San Diego County voters. By Tuesday morning, county election officials had received more than 880,000 mail-in ballots, and around 80,000 people had already voted in person. And by the time every vote has been counted, officials expect turnout of between 80% and 84% — in line with past presidential elections. The 2016 presidential election saw 81% turnout, and 2020 had nearly 84%, reports show. Election officials warned last-minute voters to expect long lines if they choose to vote in person Tuesday. And with so many contests on the ballot, they said it could take longer than usual. That was the case at some vote centers around the county Tuesday. Rush-hour traffic hit the Mission Valley Library voting center late in the afternoon, with over 150 people standing in a winding line behind the building. A volunteer poll worker was informing those in the line the wait was an hour and a half long. Voters at Chula Vista City Hall experienced the same. “I was not expecting this,” said Raul Noriega, 33, who waited in line for a little under two hours to vote there. He said he was voting to approve Measure P to extend the city’s sales tax surcharge. “The city needs money,” he said. “I feel like if we are going to invest in infrastructure I’m all for it. Even if that means taxes are going to be partially raised, at least we know that the money is going towards something, either fixing roads, public transportation.” San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria arrived early at the San Diego County Registrar of Voters offices to cast his ballot in his bid for re-election on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in San Diego. Accepting his ballot is Ziba Rechou. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)   Carmel Valley resident Patricia Ouellette was walking her golden retriever by a polling center on Tuesday afternoon to “get away” from the TV, she said. “There’s just a lot of anxiety. I wish it wasn’t so close,” she said of the presidential election. She said she had voted for Harris for president and said she was afraid of a second Trump presidency. “I’m just holding my breath that Harris wins. Otherwise, I don’t know what I’m going to do tomorrow,” she said. “I don’t know if I’m going to get out of bed.” Inside the vote center, Meghan LeClaire, who runs a spa in San Diego, filled in only one bubble on her ballot — casting a vote for Trump, who she hopes will reduce taxes and help business owners like her. She said she has been too busy to look into everything else on the ballot. “Politics stress me out,” she said. “I just like to stay out of it.” Voters, from left, Moe Parniani, Roma Cannizzaro, her husband Joe Martinez, and John Pollock, fill out forms before receiving ballots for voting at the Encinitas Community and Senior Center in Encinitas on Tuesday, Nov. 05, 2024. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune) Some voters beat the crowds by voting at the Registrar of Voters offices in Kearny Mesa just after the polls opened at 7 a.m. Carl Savoia was one of them. He said his vote “feels more important than previous elections. There are two drastically different platforms. This is more significant than previous elections.” A steady stream of voters was also seen dropping off ballots Tuesday morning at a drop box in Bankers Hill, at the entrance to Balboa Park near Sixth Avenue and Laurel Street. “I have a teenage daughter, so the decisions we make today will impact her,” said Michelle Sainz of Chula Vista, who described herself as someone who votes regularly. “I want to make sure what we do today is of benefit not just to us, but to future generations.” Michelle Sainz of Chula Vista deposits her ballot into an official ballot drop box in Balboa Park on Tuesday morning. (Rob Nikolewski / San Diego Union-Tribune) County officials recommend voters read their voter information pamphlet and mark their selections on their sample ballot in advance so they can refer to their choices once inside the voting booth at the vote center. Eligible residents who want to vote but aren’t yet registered can still conditionally register and vote in person. Voters returning their ballot by mail should remember to sign and date the envelope to ensure their vote will count. They can track it by signing up for “Where’s My Ballot?” at california.ballottrax.net. Voters can check their registration status or locate vote centers and ballot drop boxes online at sdvote.com. They can also call 858-565-5800 or 800-696-0136 for information. Although the polls close Tuesday evening, full election results will take much longer. The county registrar will begin to release partial results — from ballots received by Monday — soon after the polls close at 8 p.m. They’ll update the results throughout the night and in the following days as more ballots are counted, but the official results will not be certified until early December. Kalli Legakes Adams, 31, of San Diego, prepares to vote at the San Diego Registrar of Voters before Election Day on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024 in San Diego. (Ana Ramirez / The San Diego Union-Tribune) The presidential race has riveted most voters’ attention, along with control of the two chambers of Congress. But down the ballot, San Diego County voters are also deciding six contested state Assembly seats, one state Senate seat, 10 state propositions and scores of local races — along with five seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and California’s open seat in the U.S. Senate. One highlight among those is the race for the 49th Congressional District. Republican Matt Gunderson is hoping to unseat three-term Democrat Mike Levin for the coastal North County and southern Orange County seat. At the county level, the high-profile race in District 3 — where former San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer is challenging incumbent Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer — could determine which party controls the Board of Supervisors. In the city of San Diego, voters citywide will decide not only whether to re-elect Mayor Todd Gloria but also who will succeed the termed-out city attorney, among other races. Voters in at least a dozen other cities will also be deciding who will represent them and whether to approve local measures. In state legislative races, the 75th and 79th Assembly districts both feature runoffs between two candidates from the same party. Republican activist Carl DeMaio and party-backed rival Andrew Hayes are running to represent a wide swath of East County and inland North County in Sacramento, while fellow Democrats Colin Parent and LaShae Sharp-Collins are competing to represent portions of eastern San Diego, Lemon Grove and La Mesa. Consult the The San Diego Union-Tribune’s voter guide online at sandiegouniontribune.com/election-2024-san-diego-county-voter-guide to learn more about the people and items on your ballot. Staff writers Caleb Lunetta, Christian Martinez and Rob Nikolewski contributed to this report.