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Regardless of who wins the presidency Tuesday, our nation, states and regions face serious challenges, many of which directly affect us in our homes and in our wallets. These issues and needed public policies will remain on Wednesday.

That's why we asked Southern Arizonans to tell us about issues that are important to you. Through an online survey we hoped to gauge your collective opinions about presidential candidates and issues critical to the West.

For two weeks in late September and early October, we asked readers to go online and answer multiple-choice questions, followed by open-ended questions.

We received about 1,400 partially completed surveys. The 835 who responded to all of the multiple choice question were 48 percent female and 52 percent male, an inverse reflection of the Pima County's 2006 population breakdown. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Pima County's 946,363 population is 51 percent female and 48 percent male.

The age breakdown of the respondents is older than the total population. For example, 15 percent of the county's population is 65 years or older, while 22 percentof respondents reported their age in that range. Likewise, 33 percent of the respondents were 55-64 years old, in contrast to 11 percent of the population in that age bracket.

Respondents reported their party affiliation as 47 percent Democratic and 26 percent Republican. The 497,813 registered voters in Pima County are about 40 percent Democratic and 31 percent Republican.

While our poll is not scientific and reflects only the views of those who chose to participate, it offers a snapshot of respondents' priorities on the issues facing our nation. Among the findings:

● Fifty-six percent of the 835 respondents who answered all of the multiple choice questions said that immigration issues were "very important" and another 32 percent said they were "somewhat important" when voting for president.

Immigration has been a contentious, pressure-cooker issue in Southern Arizona and was perhaps the most divisive issue in the 2006 mid-term election. But as one reader who responded to our poll told us, the candidates aren't talking about immigration and it's not on the collective consciousness.

● Renewable energy was on the respondents' minds: 75 percent said it was very important and 19 percent said it was somewhat important.

Several readers criticized the wording of this question, saying it was a poorly expressed question and that "renewable" was not well defined.

One respondent noted: "This question assumes that there are 'renewable energy solutions.' There are none."

● K-12 education was especially important to those who chose to take our survey: 62 percent said it was very important and 26 percent said it was somewhat important.

Among the ideas that surfaced in respondents' comments: emphasizing the state's responsibility rather than the federal government's to improve education; the importance of parental involvement and responsibility.

● Eighty-four percent of respondents said that higher education — trade schools, community colleges and universities— are very or somewhat important.

Several respondents said that higher education and a well-trained work force must be a priority if the United States hopes to compete successfully on the world stage.

However, readers also noted that not every child is destined for college, and that trade schools and community colleges are an important part of the equation.

● Infrastructure — maintaining and expanding roadways bridges, et cetera — was also a priority for respondents: 51 percent said it was very important and 37 percent said it was somewhat important.

One comment referred to infrastructure as one of the most unglamorous (and therefore not talked about), but essential topics of the day.

One interesting stream of thought presented in the comments was that the West's infrastructure has not deteriorated as much as that of the East and the Midwest.

● Solving water problems received a 59 percent rating for very important and 28 percent for somewhat important.

Despite being relatively important to respondents, there were only a handful of comments on the water issue. Of these, several respondents said it was a state responsibility.

● Sixty-six percent of respondents said that increased access to health care was very important, while 21 percent said it was somewhat important.

Respondents to the open-ended health-care question feared either Democratic socialization or a continuation of the Republican status quo.

However, the overarching theme was that everyone should have some sort of health care program for themselves and their children.

● Military preparedness — especially the future of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and Fort Huachuca — received a 51 percent very important and a 30 percent somewhat important rating.

One respondent had an interesting perspective on Southern Arizona's role in military preparedness: "We need to keep our desert bases open and training military members, as our most likely areas of need are in the desert and will continue to be for quite some time . . .There are special problems in the desert that need to be taught to non-desert dwellers.'

There were hundreds of comments — too many to report in print. Many of the comments were about the need to stick to one or the other political party's agenda, and many were thoughtful and insightful.

We hope you'll take a moment to go online and read the breakdown of respondents' priorities and their comments.