HARLINGEN — “Go Beto! Go Beto!”
Horns honking and flags waving, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Maricela Alvarado (retired) shouted to passersby on a street corner near Vernon Middle School, where a steady stream of voters came to cast their ballots on Election Day.
“We think this election is so critical for our community and the Rio Grande Valley,” said Alvarado.
“That was a very nice way of saying it,” said her friend Lynn Nuckolls.
They both bore signs with the names of Beto O’Rourke and Vicente Gonzalez.
“We feel we are being divided by false statements, and it’s our responsibility to stand up against false statement,” said Alvarado, a 28-year veteran.
Polling stations throughout the city still bore bold signs with names that by now have become familiar to many.
“Estoy con Eloy.”
“Beto for Texas, Re-Elect Eddie Trevino, Elect Chuck Vieh … “
The string of signs everywhere gave polling places a sort of carnival like appearance.
There was an intense energy about it all, highlighted by the absence of all the passion and vocal furor of campaigners present at early voting locations.
Tuesday afternoon, some polling places like Vernon and Stuart Place Elementary still had a steady flow of voters.
Bonita Park had plenty of signs but no campaigners, but there was a slow and steady stream of voters in and out of the polls.
Harlingen Outreach Center seemed void of any activity.
Campaigners had a strong and active presence outside Stuart Place Elementary, where they wore shirts promoting the election of Eloy Cano Jr. to Justice of the Peace.
“I’m his daughter-in-law,” said Kristy Cano, holding a sign and waving to honking cars.
“This has always been a family effort to reelect him,” she said. “He’s been our JP for so many years.”
A few feet away Chuck Vieh and his supporters waved signs asking for people’s votes. He’s running on the Republican ticket for county commissioner against incumbent Gus Ruiz.
“People are pretty positive,” Vieh said. “Six out of 10 are thumbs up to me.”
His supporter Mary David bore her own sign.
“I think we are ready for a change, not just in the city but the state,” she said. “I think Chuck is a very honest person, and he means well for the city.”
Change seemed on the minds of many.
“It’s kind of important to me that my children have a world to live in, and I worry about that,” said Nuckolls pensively, concern evident on her face before returning to smiles and the greetings of voters.
