An 81-year-old woman is going viral for casting her first-ever vote, but the reason why is shocking people.
According to the news station, Cartledge said she had never voted because her husband did not think she should. He died last year. This year, she voted.
She told WSB-TV, “I was so young and everything when we got married, I didn’t ever think about it. And then when I got old, I still didn’t think about it, [that] it would count.”
Now, she’s hoping to keep voting. “It was neat, it was good,” Cartledge said of going to the polls for the first time. “If I’m here, I’ll be back.”
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While Betty’s story may come as a shock, it’s a reminder that women are still fighting for their autonomy, and many still don’t have it, even within their own homes. After all, it wasn’t until 1974, when the Equal Credit Opportunity Act passed, that women were allowed even to open their own bank accounts. Women were only allowed to start their own businesses without a signature from a man in 1988—that’s only 36(!) years ago. And even when discrimination gets eradicated “legally,” it doesn’t always mean it does in the home, at school, or even in the rhetoric of our country’s leaders.
Has your boyfriend, husband, or partner ever suppressed, controlled, or prevented your vote? Or, have you had a friend or family member who had that happen? Let me know what happened in the comments or on this anonymous form.
🗳 🇺🇲 Make your vote count! Learn more about how to register, important deadlines, and your state’s mail-in voting options here. For more on the 2024 election, check out coverage on BuzzFeed, HuffPost, and NBC News.
