PETALING JAYA, Oct 6 — A 102-year-old woman in Chicago did not let the Covid-19 pandemic stop her from casting her mail-in ballot for the 2020 presidential election in the United States.
Beatrice Lumpkin won over social media users when a photo of her walking to the postbox across her apartment in a personal protective equipment (PPE) suit was shared on the Chicago Teachers Union Instagram page.
Radio station WBBM reported that Lumpkin has never missed a vote since she first cast her ballot for former president Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940.
Lumpkin said voting was an important act for her to honour women’s rights as she was born before American women were given the legal right to vote in 1920.
She went on to describe the 2020 election as “the most important election of (her) lifetime.”
“When I was born, women couldn’t vote.
“And second, because it’s the most important election of my lifetime. The very future of democracy is on the line,” Lumpkin was quoted as saying.
Despite President Donald Trump’s repeated attempts to cast doubt over the integrity of mail-in voting, Lumpkin remains confident and informed over the security of her ballot.
“As soon as they get my ballot, I’m going to get an email that’ll let me know they have the ballot.
“If I had the chance, there would be a whole lot I could say to President Trump.”
Lumpkin is a former mathematics teacher who worked at Chicago public schools and city colleges and is a strong advocate for more female representation in maths and science.
Her fellow members of the Chicago Teachers Union accompanied her when she went to post her mail-in ballot and encouraged Americans to follow Lumpkin’s example.
“If Bea (Lumpkin) can do it, anyone can do it. Vote!” the union wrote on Instagram.
