Former President Jimmy Carter, who celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this month, has cast his ballot in the 2024 presidential election, The Associated Press reports.
The Carter Center confirmed in a statement that Carter voted by mail, just two weeks after marking his centennial at his home in Plains, Georgia, where he is currently in hospice care.
Carter’s son, Chip Carter, revealed that his father was keenly aware of the election and its significance.
While the Carter Center declined to share further details, Georgia has witnessed a surge in voter turnout since early voting began on Tuesday. Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger reported that nearly 460,000 people had voted in-person or via absentee ballots by Wednesday afternoon.
Despite his current health condition, Carter’s vote is expected to count even if he passes away before Election Day on November 5th. Robert Sinners, a spokesman for the secretary of state’s office, clarified that Georgia election rules stipulate that an absentee ballot received by local election officials “shall be deemed to have been voted then and there.”
The matter of early votes and their validity in the event of a voter’s death has gained greater significance in recent years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. While rules vary by state, Georgia ensures that a ballot received by officials before Election Day will be counted regardless of the voter’s status.
