'I encourage the teenagers': 102-year-old casts her ballot hoping to inspire younger generations
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- It's not every day you hear a round of applause at a polling station, but Thursday was a monumental moment for Sonetta Clifton, who is 102 years old.
"I'm just beside myself," Clifton said.
This retired teacher with more than four decades of service says she's been voting since she was in her teens.
On Thursday, she went to this polling place in southwest Houston to cast her ballot curbside after getting a ride from one of her former students.
"They all know how I am and have always been. She's my student from years ago. She saw that I got here. That has always motivated me," Clifton said, adding that there's an even bigger motivator.
She spent more than 25 of those years in Kendleton, and even though she retired as an educator, she still teaches young people in her family about the importance of voting.
"They all know how I jump and down about issues that you need to vote on, and that'll keep us moving forward, and if they see that, I get here," she said.
She's retired, but even at the age of 102, she's still hoping her story inspires the young generation.
"I encourage the teenagers now to vote and for the issues that will keep us going forward," she said, adding that she doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon. "Somebody is going to have to get me here because I don't drive."
Clifton will turn 103 years old in January.
