“It’s such an exciting day,” says Personal Care resident Marie Armstrong, referring to the upcoming Election Day. “I’ve always made it a priority.” Marie, who was born in 1916 – four years before the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote, also known as Women’s Suffrage – has never missed an Election Day in her life. Her perfect track record would be impressive for anyone, especially considering Marie was a busy mother raising three children, Thomas, Joseph and Anne, and being an attentive wife to her husband, George. “I brought all three children with me every time,” Marie says. “That’s how I instilled the importance of our right to vote!”
Marie grew up in a politically active family on Church Street in Center City, Philadelphia. Her father, who always volunteered to work the polls, used to bring Marie along so she could feel the excitement of the day and appreciate the significance of her rights as a U.S. citizen. Family politics was quite different when Marie was growing up. “Whatever your father was – that’s what you were,” she remembers about party lines. “We never fought at the dinner table.”
Fast forward to today, and Marie is proud to live at PPH, where every resident is empowered to exercise his or her right onsite in our Social Hall. “We’re so lucky to live in a polling place,” she says. “Absolutely no excuses this year!”
Marie Armstrong
Election Day is on November 6, 2018.