Determined Texas woman, 92, votes in ambulance
SAN ANTONIO – Betty Owen is 92 and after a stroke four years ago, needs a feeding tube and can't walk. But she was determined not to miss Tuesday's election. She arrived at her polling place on a gurney in an ambulance, where an election judge and support worker climbed aboard with an electronic voting machine and let her cast her ballot.
"And you have voted," precinct judge Sam Green said after Owen pushed the red button finalizing her choices. "You know, you look so pretty in that red dress."
Owen grinned, the San Antonio Express-News reported in Tuesday's online edition.
Her daughter arranged for the ambulance ride at the last minute after Owen failed to get an absentee ballot.
Owen, a Marine Corps veteran who served in World War II, cast her first ballot for Wendell Willkie, a Republican running against Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940.
She became a Democrat after voting for John Kennedy in 1960. She cast a straight Democratic ballot Tuesday.
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I couldn't say that I'm a steadfast believer in our voting system. Does it work? Does our vote matter? Even if not, I think that shirking this hard-earned right and civic duty does more harm than a rigged, or otherwise unfair voting system. The will of the people is like a dandelion, vote-rigging and other wrong-headed government gaffes are like cement. If we keep on keepin' on, we'll surely poke through. Don't take your voice away from yourself because you're afraid that someone else will.
Anyway, I'm inspired. As much as I hope that Barack Obama wins, if he doesn't, at least I can be thankful for having had a presidential candidate that has inspired so many people to get interested, get involved, and get voting. So thanks for the inspiration, Barack, Betty Owen, my 82-year-old Fencing Instructor, and to the 9-months-pregnant woman I saw today on the treadmill because god damn it, you all just keep on keepin' on.
... now if you'll excuse me, while you vote (I already did two weeks ago), I'm going to make rice-krispie treats with Cheerios (for their "o"-shaped properties) for an Election viewing party.... I'm so nervous!
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