Subscribe
NewsOne Featured Video
CLOSE

A 99-year-old, Obama-loving Fort Myers, Fla., woman voted for the first time in her life after skipping 24 presidential elections, NBC 2 reports.

Scroll down for video

SEE ALSO: ‘Five Heartbeats’ Actor Michael Wright Hits Cop Car With Rolls Royce

Rosie Lewis filled out her mail-in ballot in her modest Fort Myers home last week in her favorite chair with her Bible near by. Given that Lewis was 7-years-old when women were granted the right to vote in the U.S. under the 19th Amendment and was in her 50s when Jim Crow laws were abolished, her long wait to cast her ballot comes with a few historical explanations.

SEE ALSO: Denzel’s Oscar Buzz for ‘Flight’ Tempered By Online Boycott Threat

But now that she is voting in this crucial election, Lewis is making no secret of who she wants to win. “I love Obama,” she said.

Want to Keep Up With NewsOne.com? LIKE Us On Facebook!

Lewis credits Obama’s presidency for her encouraging her to vote. “I said I’m going to vote if the Lord spares my life this time,” said Lewis. “I made it up to my mind to vote.”

Gerri Ware, Lewis’ close friend, helped the 99-year-old first-time voter to register and turned in her ballot after it was filled out. Ware feels Lewis’ commitment to vote should be an example to people of how important it is to vote.

“Ms. Rosie should be an inspiration to all of our young people and old people,” Ware said. “You never get too old to exercise your right.”