As former President Jimmy Carter approached 20 months in hospice care, he shared a heartfelt wish with his family: to live long enough to vote for Kamala Harris. Having just turned 100 on October 1, Carter has now fulfilled this goal, as revealed by his grandson, Jason Carter.
“I’m only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris.” On Wednesday, October 16, Carter, the longest-living U.S. president, fulfilled his wish to vote for Harris, as reported by PEOPLE.
Carter filled out a ballot, which was placed in a dropbox at the Sumter County Courthouse near his hometown of Plains, Georgia, according to confirmations from his grandson Jason and son Chip Carter to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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“I think he feels good,” Chip, 74, said about his dad — who has been in hospice care since February 2023 — filling out the ballot. “It was a good morning for him and good for us that he got it done.”
Carter’s absentee ballot was dropped off by his daughter-in-law, Becky Carter.
Confirming Carter’s vote, Chip Carter stated, “He’s never voted for a Republican in his life.”
At the Democratic National Convention in August, Jason Carter explained why he and his grandfather are supporting Harris.
“Kamala Harris carries my grandfather’s legacy,” he said on stage. “She knows what is right, and she fights for it. She understands that leadership is about service, not about selfishness. That you can show strength and demonstrate decency. And that you can get a whole lot more done with a smile than with a scowl.”
While this may be the longest-living president’s last opportunity to cast his ballot, this will be the first for Jason Carter’s son, Henry, who turned 18.
“I am excited about this year’s election because it will be my first time able to vote,” Henry told PEOPLE on September 17. “And that means a lot.”
Georgia, a pivotal swing state with 16 electoral votes, is at the center of the 2024 presidential election. Polls indicate a tight race between Harris and former President Donald Trump, with no clear front-runner emerging.
