This is Voting

Many of us take our right to vote for granted. Imagine what is must have been like to want to vote but told you weren't allowed because of your gender or race. Thankfully, I'll never have to experience that. Someday I hope to be able to vote for a qualified woman for President but I have no problem voting for Barack Obama. It gives me hope that this country will make more extraordinary changes as time goes by.

Now imagine being an African-American woman aged 106! Yes, Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old and cast her vote for Barack Obama. Although she's now in a wheelchair she was dancing until she was 103. She was assisted to the voting booth and used the touch screen to do just that today.












An incredible woman with an incredible story.






Ann and her husband, the late Dr.Albert Cooper, a dentist, taken in 1922

The African-American centenarian remembers a time not long ago when she was barred from voting because of her race. Now she hopes to see the day that Obama is elected as the nation's first black president.

"I ain't got time to die," Cooper said with a smile.

"Even if he didn't win, I was happy for him just to be nominated," said the former socialite. "The first black president -- isn't that something, at 106 years old?"

At the Fulton County government center, Cooper was greeted by Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.

"I thought that I would accompany her today to support her, but also to say to all people that this is a choice we have," Franklin said.

"As all Americans, we should cherish the right to vote and take every opportunity we have to vote our opinions. She is an inspiration to me personally, but she is also quite an inspiration to all Atlanta."

Never stay home. Always vote. Never assume your vote doesn't count. Even if you have to leave a blank by a specific candidate there are always others on the ballot. If you don't vote you waste a chance to make a difference. It takes all of us to contribute to this great nation. VOTE!!

My Voting Experience

So this morning I woke up to the first day of early voting here in Illinois. Then I went and looked in the mirror. Oh. My. God. I have an infection in my left eye and it's all swollen, red and hurts to blink. Crap. I should go to the Doc. But I really want to vote. Sooooo, I take a shower, get dressed and don my sunglasses to hide my oh so attractive eye! Over to Arlington Heights I go at about 11:30 A.M. Not too bad a line. Mostly elderly people. The woman behind me is Republican ( she's carrying a republican fact sheet ) and she begins chatting to me. She was a pleasant person but I'm sure she was voting McCain/Palin.

So I wait. Chat and wait some more. My eye is hurting me. The woman in front of me is a nurse like me so we chat about nursing stuff. She's from India originally and is voting because she's leaving to fly to India to visit family. She says this is a very important vote and she wasn't going to miss it. She tells me she's voting Obama. I smiled.

OK, it's my turn to get my voting card. Off I go to the touch screen and I think it took me less than 7 minutes to finish. I read up on who's on the ballot so there's no messing around. Geezez, I really want to rub my eye. I vote: Obama/Biden, Dick Durbin for Senator and Dan Seals for Congress ( I really hope we say good-bye to Mark Kirk this time ). Yaaaaay, I'm done.

As I leave some overweight man in shorts ( Republican because he, too, is carrying a Republican voting guide ) says to me "I hope you voted the right way." I looked at him and said "Yes, I believe I did, the Democratic way." He looked floored and grumbled. I smiled and left. I swear it must be my white hair that makes people think I'm old and must be voting Republican. Hahahahaha I'm not that old! And I'm not dying my hair!

All in all, a good experience and I felt great after voting. I hope to see an Obama Presidency in November. Now, I'm going to go put a cold compress on my eye and call the Doc.