81-Year-Old Georgia Woman's Husband Never Let Her Vote. He Died Last Year, and She Just Cast Her First Ballot
"I was so young and everything when we got married, I never really thought about it," said Betty Cartledge, a first-time voter in the greater Atlanta area
For decades, Betty Cartledge didn't put much thought into the fact that she had never participated in an election. But this year, on the eve of her 82nd birthday, something changed.
One day after early voting began in Georgia, local television station Channel 2 Action News caught Cartledge on her way into a Newton County polling location in the greater Atlanta area.
"I'm going to vote for the first time in my life," the Covington resident told the outlet on Wednesday, Oct. 16, noting that she was casting her inaugural ballot four days before turning 82 years old.
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Cartledge, who was accompanied by her niece, explained that she had never tried voting sooner because her longtime husband discouraged it.
"I was so young and everything when we got married, I never really thought about it," she said. "And then I got old and I thought that it wouldn't count to vote."
After her husband died last year, Georgia's pivotal role in the 2024 election became a national conversation. When early voting rolled around, she decided it was time to make her voice heard.
Related: Here's When Jimmy Carter's Absentee Vote Will Be Locked In
Cartledge didn't share who she voted for, but she did debrief the experience to Channel 2 as she returned to her car afterward.
"It was neat, it was good," Cartledge said. "If I'm here, I'll be back again."
As the eighth most populous state in the nation, Georgia has a strong say in picking U.S. presidents.
Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have put considerable focus on winning over Georgia voters in order to earn their 16 Electoral College votes, and polling does not currently point to a clear front-runner.
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