Woman in labor stops to vote in US election on way to hospital
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A woman in labor made sure to cast her vote for the United States election before heading to a hospital in Florida to give birth.
While her husband drove her to the hospital, the woman (their names withheld) had him stop at the Supervisor of Elections Office on Oct. 27. Upon arriving at the voting center, the husband quickly approached one of the employees for help, CBS-affiliate WKMG reported the day after.
“All of a sudden, I get a voter in front of me and he hands me two driver’s licenses,” Karen Briceño González recalled.
“I told him, ‘I need your driver’s license for you to vote,’” she added. “He says, ‘No, you don’t understand. I already voted.’”
He then explained that his wife was already in labor and was waiting in the car.
“I go: ‘We need her here.’ And he basically told me, ‘That’s gonna be a problem,” Gonzáles was quoted as saying. “She refuses to go to the hospital until she votes.’”
Gonzáles, who is a mother herself, eventually agreed and walked toward their car. The employee then handed the wife a mail-in ballot, saying that she needed to send it by Nov. 3.
However, the wife refused and insisted on voting then and there. Respecting her decision, Gonzáles agreed and let her fill out a ballot.
“It was an odd situation, but she wanted to vote and that was her right as an American citizen,” Gonzáles said.
Gonzáles also pointed out that the wife was calm during the whole encounter, while her husband was a “little bit more nervous.”
“We want to facilitate every voter that is eligible to vote, the right to vote no matter their circumstances,” she said in the report. “I understand the importance of this election to some people. I gave her an ‘I voted’ sticker and she was on her way to the hospital.”
After they left the center, Gonzáles assured her that her vote would be counted in the election. She also stated that she and her colleagues hoped to reunite with the family soon. Ryan Arcadio /ra
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