It’s an intergenerational moment!
A Georgia grandmother and her grandson hit the polls on election night to vote together, 11 Alive reports.
King Walker and his grandmother Flossie think they might’ve made history as the oldest and youngest pair voting in Atlanta on election night recently. King just turned 18 on October 12th and said he couldn’t wait to join his almost 94-year-old grandmother, Flossie, at the polls.
“When I was younger, I would always watch her go vote,” said King.
The veteran voter said casting a ballot has always been extremely important to her. Though she doesn’t remember who she voted for her first time going to the polls, she said she’ll never forget this time, a first for her grandson, who she said she was “very, very proud of.”
A student at Booker T Washington High School, at 17-years-old King, had the opportunity to attend the Democracy Now class hosted by Atlanta Public Schools, Rock the Vote, AMB Sports and Entertainment, and the New Georgia Project. It was at that class that he began learning about voting rights.
“I was doing the forum at APS, and three of the candidates were there: Andre Dickens, Antonio Brown, and Sharon Gay. So, we got to ask them questions, and that influenced who I was going to vote for,” King said.
Once he did further research, he felt prepared for Election Day.
“I was nervous and excited because it was my first time voting. And you’re seeing all the names and the people you’ve talked about and discussed,” he explained.
Still, the process was not easy for him. When he got to the polls, his precinct could not find his voter registration, and he ended up having to cast a provisional ballot. While there was no line, it still took him almost an hour to get through the entire process. Despite the obstacles, King said he was happy he voted and grateful to have his grandmother there.
“It was exciting to watch him get out and vote for the first time,” Flossie said.
In local and state elections across the nation, Black politicians have made strides, winning critical and historic elections. Voters like King and Flossie make that success possible, and hopefully, their story serves as inspiration for more people to get out and vote.
Photo Courtesy of 11 Alive News