Houston voters see presidential election as unconventional, critical

HOUSTON - Voters in the second largest US state of Texas cast their ballots for the presidential election on Tuesday, while many of them considered the election both unconventional and critical.

Braving cold wind and rain, voters in Houston, the state's largest city, went to polling stations across the greater Houston area. In the two main polling stations in the southwestern part of Houston, many voters told Xinhua that this election was very important and critical in terms of deciding the direction the United States would go in the next few years. And they had no choice but to choose from the two unpopular nominees.

"This year's presidential election is very unique in the US history with both candidates of the two parties being very unpopular. The new president, Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, will have to pay more attention to the relationship with China as ties are the most important for the two countries," said Jingjing Clemence, Republican Precinct chair and vice president of Texas Asian Republican Club.

Peter Li, tenure professor of the University of Houston, told Xinhua that "this year's presidential election is unarguably the most unconventional one and no matter who will be the new president of the nation, she or he has to establish a positive relationship with China as US-China relations are the most important one in the world and a good US-China relationship is a bipartisan consensus in the nation."

Michael Gibson, chairman for the Republican Party in Fort Bend county, southwestern part of Houston, told Xinhua that "I think it is absolutely critical that everybody gets out to vote. This election will decide not only who will be the next president, but also to decide what direction the country will go."

Jan Cramer, a 72-year-old white woman who favors Trump, told Xinhua that "I really have never seen a thing (election) like this before. The elections like this is unbelievable. I cannot close my eyes to a lot of things Hillary Clinton did."

Dorothy cock, a 68-year-old Black woman who voted for Clinton, told Xinhua that "This is the worst election I have ever seen in my life. It makes me not glad to be here because I am really sick of it."

As a Republican support base, Texas, which has 38 electoral votes, has been a die-hard red state for many presidential elections. Barack Obama failed to win the Lone Star State in his 2008 and 2012 elections. But many voters in the state might cast "unconventional" ballots in the unconventional elections this year.