Election Day finally came. What was the mood at polls in battleground AZ?

Voters streamed to the polls on Tuesday in Arizona, a key battleground state, where a deep sense of anxiousness prevailed over the outcome of one of the most contentious presidential races in memory.

Voters interviewed at polling sites described losing sleep and waking up early, nervous and worried over who would win the election.

Many voters said they felt like the future of the country was riding on this election. Their source of unease depended on whether they supported former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee who awaits sentencing after being convicted in May of 34 felony crimes, or Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic nominee just three months ago on Aug. 5 after President Joe Biden withdrew his candidacy in July.

That unease, many voters said, was compounded by the weight of knowing that in a swing state like Arizona, where the presidential race seemed razor-thin, every vote mattered, and their vote could ultimately play an outsize role in deciding who would be the next person to sit in the White House.

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For some voters, however, the unsettledness they felt was tempered by a feeling of excitement, taking long lines they encountered at polling sites as evidence of a strong turnout that meant a likely win for either Trump or Harris. Other voters expressed relief that months of being bombarded by divisive campaign ads had finally come to an end and said they were hopeful that the American people would come together no matter the outcome.

"I think we are all a little bit fatigued over the last couple of months, especially the last 100 days," said Paradise Bush, 29, a bank finance officer from Phoenix, moments after dropping off her mail-in ballot for Harris at a polling site at Faith Lutheran Church on Camelback Road in north-central Phoenix. "I'm just really happy and excited to see what the (outcome) is no matter what it is and hopefully after we can all come together and get more positive with each other."

Mark Rasmussen, 71, a retired software engineer from Phoenix, mailed in his ballot for Trump earlier but stopped by the same polling location to drop off his son. He could barely contain his feelings.

"I'm anxious. I'm anxious. I'm very anxious," Rasmussen said.

Harris, Rasmussen said, was not qualified to be president. He said she benefitted from a program that helps students from disadvantaged backgrounds get into law school and then failed to pass the Bar exam on her first try.

In 2016, Harris acknowledged the early bar exam failure in an interview with The New York Times Magazine . In 2018, Harris was identified in the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco alumni magazine as an alum of the school's Legal Education Opportunity Program, "which admits students from adverse backgrounds and supports them to succeed," according to the magazine. The right-wing news site The Daily Signal recently published an suggesting Harris may not have been suited for the program because her parents were both successful academics.

Rasmussen also said he feared a Harris victory would result in World War III.

"We are going to get blown off the face of the Earth" if Harris wins, Rasmussen said. "She and Biden have pushed World War III. Right now, we are 90 seconds to midnight on the doomsday clock. It's the worst it's ever been."

Felipe Pegram, 21, a restaurant manager from Phoenix, stood in line for about half an hour at the same polling location. Pegram said he was excited because it was his very first time voting in a presidential election.

"It was exhilarating," said Pegram, who voted for Trump in the presidential race. "But it was also a little nerve-racking at the same time."

Nerve-racking, he said, because he knew the election in battleground Arizona remained a toss-up.

"There is that weight on your shoulders knowing that you are voting on the people who will lead the country," Pegram said. "It's definitely nerve-racking knowing you have that power in your hands. Knowing that your vote, especially in a state like Arizona, really matters."

At the polling location at the Donna L. Higgins Recreation Center in Tucson, Mya Des Granges, 21, was also feeling stressed voting in her first presidential election in a battleground state.

"Being in a swing state would be the most stressful part about it because your vote really matters," said Des Granges, who voted for Harris.

At the polling location at Dove of the Desert United Methodist Church in Glendale, Danny Torgerson, 55, voted in person with his two sons, Ashton, 18, and Austin, 21.

Torgerson said it was his two boys' first time voting in a presidential election.

He said he instilled in them at an early age the importance of voting as a civic duty.

Austin and Ashton had been visiting family in Oregon over the weekend. But they drove back to Glendale just in time to go to the polls in person on Election Day.

All three voted for Trump.

They cited the economy and the border as major issues of concern for them.

"Inflation was lower, and it was easier to buy homes" when Trump was in office, Danny Torgerson said.

At the polling location at Desert Oasis Aquatic Center in Chandler, Barbara Wolfe, 71, said she was feeling nervous over the outcome of the presidential race.

Wolfe, a registered Republican, said she voted for Trump because she's concerned a Harris presidency would have a negative impact on "everything," from the border to the economy.

At the polling location at the McQueen Park Activity Center in Gilbert, Lisa Valencia, 59, a Democrat who voted for Harris, also said she was nervous. Her concerns, however, were about a Trump victory.

"It scares the heck out of me," Valencia said. "Nervous. Very nervous."

Andy Hernandez, 57, who waited in line to vote at the Desert Oasis polling location, said he was eager for the presidential election to be over because of all the divisive rhetoric. Hernandez, a Democrat, said the race had created stress in the relationship with his girlfriend, a Republican.

"It's too much," Hernandez said. "With all the mudslinging, all the misinformation, it creates conflict within households."

Luckily, Hernandez added, "Our relationship is stronger than any party."

Reporters Sarah Lapidus, Endia Fontanez and Reia Li contributed.

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