I decided to vote early to avoid the crowd. To my discontent, an online search showed the nearest voting location where I had previously voted was not open, and the next closest one was a few kilometers away.

Harris County, where Houston is located, is the most populous in Texas. The number of registered voters grew by 300,000 to about 2.7 million in 2024 compared with 2020. However, there were fewer early voting locations this year — 87 versus 122 in 2020.

When I arrived at the Alief ISD Administration Building, a long line was snaking out of the building. "The wait will be more than an hour", yelled a man who was likely an election volunteer. He advised those who didn't want to wait to go to the next polling station.

An additional 10-plus-minute drive took me to the Tracy Gee Community Center. There the line inside had more than 20 people ahead of me. I was asked to turn off my phone because it is forbidden at voting stations per Texas law.

It was after lunchtime on the second early voting day. Most voters present were elderly. One was in a wheelchair and given priority without waiting in line. None of the voters were below the age of 30. Two other voters were Asian.

My turn came some 20 minutes later. I showed my ID.

"Yes, it's you," the poll worker said after taking a look at my ID and then at me. I was given an access code and proceeded to vote.

It has been reported that more than 1 million voters in Harris County opted for early voting, which ended Friday.

The orderliness and calm at the voting station belied the reality of a polarized and contested presidential campaign. From chat groups to media outlets, the debate has been fierce, not only in the general population but also among my fellow Chinese Americans.

To Eric Liu, a small-business owner in Houston, the Democratic Party does him a disservice with their policies.

"The Democrats let in the illegal immigrants to make us less safe. They promote LGTBQ and sex changes among the teenagers to destroy family values," Liu said.

"They implement affirmative action to keep more qualified Asian students out of elite colleges. They spend too much on welfare to laugh at hardworking ethics and drive up inflation. Trump will make America a better society," he continued.

Amelia Ji, an IT database worker in Houston, explained her reasons for supporting Vice-President Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate.

"The Republican Party is becoming more and more extreme under Trump: Women are denied the right to abortion, and immigrants are portrayed as criminals," Ji said.

Among numerous reasons why she is opposed to Trump, one especially stood out for her, is Trump's floating of invoking the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, under which tens of thousands of US citizens of Japanese heritage were detained during World War II.

Ji agreed with Liu that the Democrats' policies are not good for her pocket nor for Asian Americans' opportunities to be admitted to elite universities. She said, however, that it was a matter of "less evil".

"The Democrat might cost me more money, but the Republican might cost me my life and freedom."