Voting is a right that most Americans have. Because of this, a lot of people take it for granted. One Georgia woman is finally realizing just how powerful the right to vote is. The octogenarian’s husband died recently, and this year, she voted for the first time thanks to Georgia’s early voting. Why did it take this long to cast her first vote? Her husband wouldn’t allow her to.
It may seem surprising, but there are a lot of women, even today, whose husbands control them. Voting is an individual right, but in a controlling relationship, some don’t have the autonomy to do so.
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She realized what she had been missing out on.
Betty Cartledge, an 82-year-old woman from Covington, Georgia, is going viral after revealing that she had just registered to vote for the first time. Her niece took her down to their local polling place on the second day of early voting. “I’m going to vote for the first time in my life,” Cartledge told Channel 2 Action News.
Cartledge didn't get the opportunity to vote previously.
Cartledge cast her vote just days before she turned 82. She shared with the news outlet that her husband didn’t think she should vote, so she didn’t.
“I was so young and everything when we got married, I never really thought about it. And then I got old and I thought that it wouldn’t count to vote,” she shared.
Cartledge realized that her husband was wrong and decided to register to vote.
Cartledge’s home state of Georgia is a majorly important state in the presidential election, and she realized that this year she had to make her voice heard. She didn’t reveal who she voted for, but she did share that the experience was positive. “It was neat, it was good. If I’m here, I’ll be back again,” she vowed.
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People on social media had a lot of feelings about her decision to vote.
Cartledge’s story went viral on X (formerly Twitter), and people had a lot of feelings about her finally exercising her right to vote.
“Betty’s decision to vote for the first time at 82 reflects the strength of personal empowerment and newfound freedom,” one tweet reads.
“I grew up in such a different environment, Betty’s first vote at 81 made me tear up. My mom was active in the League of Women Voters and a poll worker and my Grams was a county Democratic Party chairwoman, another person wrote. “Betty ma’am, may you have many more years of making your own choices.”
“Inspiring to see Betty finally exercise her right to vote after all these years. Stories like this show the strength of individuals in shaping our democracy,” someone else shared.
“I don’t care who she voted for. I am just glad she was finally able to do it,” another person wrote.
