Fifteen days after celebrating his 100th birthday, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter made a significant mark on the upcoming election by casting his vote on Wednesday. This act fulfilled his earlier wish to live long enough to support Vice President Kamala Harris in her campaign. According to the Carter Center, the non-profit organization he founded after leaving the White House in 1981, Carter participated in the election by voting by mail.
The centenarian took advantage of the early voting period in his home state of Georgia, where he is currently receiving hospice care. Despite leaving office amid widespread unpopularity, Carter’s reputation has significantly improved over the years, and he has become a respected figure in American politics. Earlier this year, he conveyed to his family that being able to vote for Harris and help defeat her Republican opponent, Donald Trump, was more important to him than simply reaching the milestone of turning 100.
Since early voting began on Tuesday, more than 420,000 Georgians have cast their ballots, as reported by Gabriel Sterling, a state election official who provided the figures around midday. Election Day is set for November 5.
Carter, who served as a one-term president, has been receiving end-of-life care in his hometown of Plains, Georgia, since February of last year. As the first former U.S. president to reach the century mark, he continues to inspire many with his lifelong commitment to public service and his efforts in global diplomacy, stemming from his humble beginnings as a peanut farmer to his rise to the highest office in the land.
