Ballot Counting Room Tijuana Dawn Light

Humid morning air settles over a long table cluttered with sealed ballot bins, scattered pencils, and steaming coffee cups along a barricaded route near Tijuana. Low-angle sidelight skims across the corrugated metal of nearby barriers, highlighting the rough texture of autumn leaves clinging to the wet pavement. The wooden table surface reflects the pale gray sky, against the dark plastic of the sealed containers. Volunteers stand in the background, their silhouettes sharp against the softening dawn, while coffee rings stain the paper beneath the cups. One pencil rests near the edge of a sealed bin, its graphite tip pointing toward the open street.