Jamaican-born 84-y-o votes in US midterm elections
AFTER living in the United States of America for 52 years, Jamaican-born 84-year-old nurse, Murlin Hampton, was determined to independently use her stroller to get to Clark County in Nevada, to cast her vote during the 2018 Midterm Elections on Tuesday.
“It is my right to vote, and I need to select the candidate of my choice… I’m a medical person… and I’m still working,” Hampton said, adding that her vote is very important to the future of the country she lives in.
She was speaking to JIS News, which is visiting sections of the US as part of the Foreign Press Centers’ International Reporting Tour for the elections.
Hampton emphasised that she wants to play her part in ensuring that the United States has good leaders, so that the future generation can have a better life.
“I hope they’ll change some things for the better, so that’s why I came out [to vote],” she said.
She told JIS News that she has been voting in the US for decades and will do so as long as her ability permits her to.
“I’ve seen all the changes that have taken place. I’ve seen how people vote and I’ve seen how they’ve not voted,” she said.
Another voter at Clark County, Julie McCrary, expressed similar sentiments.
“Why did I vote? [I voted] Because I’m an American… If you don’t vote; then don’t say nothing about it,” she said.
Meanwhile, Diondrea Hysaw said that as a young American, she believes their voices need to be heard, and for that to happen, the American youth have to vote.
“I was not going to miss it… Everyone should express their voice, and I particularly wanted my voice to be heard today (Tuesday), and that’s why I came to vote,” Hysaw told JIS News.
The results from the midterm elections show that the Democrats won the House of Representatives, while the Republicans retained control of the Senate.
The US Foreign Press Centers’ International Reporting Tour is taking place between November 1 and 8, and includes 25 journalists from different geographic regions around the world, including Jamaica.
The tour includes presentations by American academics, pollsters and journalists covering their respective state’s midterm elections.
