On 100th birthday, voter exercises her special right
Voting is always a special event for Mabel Johnson of Olathe.
But on Tuesday, Johnson walked into her polling place at Prairie Center Church of God in Olathe and cast her vote on her 100th birthday.
With her daughter Betty Hansen by her side helping her to the machine and poll workers wishing her a happy birthday, Johnson did what she has done her entire life: She exercised her beloved right to vote.
“I love my country and I’ve always thought voting was important,” said Johnson, who was born six years before women got the right to vote.
It was while chatting with poll workers in the August primary that Johnson and Hansen realized that the date for the general election would coincide with Johnson’s 100th birthday. Johnson was struck by the coincidence.
“I really couldn’t believe it,” Johnson said. “I was sort of amazed at that. I thought it was funny.”
Many years ago, Johnson was a poll worker herself. Since then, she’s remained interested in politics.
Hansen said her mother still reads the newspaper every day and follows what’s going on in the world and in politics.
“I’m very proud of my mom and we are very close and the fact that she is still interested in political things is incredible to me,” Hansen said. “You would think that at that age you might not be as interested in that.”
Johnson voted in her first presidential election in 1936 when she was 22. That year she cast her vote for Kansan Alf Landon, who was running against Franklin Roosevelt.
Since then, she has voted regularly in elections — with the exception of 1944. That election came during World War II and Johnson had enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard in 1943. She was among the first group of women to serve in the Coast Guard’s Women’s Reserve or SPARS as it was called.
Being a veteran has made the act of voting that much more precious for Johnson.
“She’s very patriotic,” Hansen said.
A few years ago, Johnson became acquainted with representatives of the Coast Guard’s Pay and Personnel Center, which is located in Topeka. Over the years, employees there have adopted Johnson as one of their own. Several women in that office were particularly impressed when they found out she served in the SPARS during World War II.
Representatives from the center wanted to do something special for Johnson on her biggest of birthdays, so several service members in uniform came for a visit on Tuesday afternoon after she voted and brought her a birthday cake.
The festivities for Johnson’s 100th birthday will continue Thanksgiving Day when she will gather with more than 30 family members from all over the country at the home she shares with Hansen in Olathe.
Family is important to Johnson. Born in 1914 to Norwegian immigrants on Staten Island in New York City, Johnson is the mother of three children, one of whom has passed away. She’s also a grandmother to nine and a great-grandmother to five. She was married to her late husband, Ken Johnson, for 63 years until he died in 2008.
For Johnson, the best part about turning 100 has been all of the love and well wishes she has received from family and friends as well as those people she’s only recently met.
“She’s enjoying this,” said Hansen. “People are so taken with it that it has just been fun and such a blessing.”
Johnson is both excited and overwhelmed by all of the attention. But her overall feeling about turning 100 — on a day as important as Election Day — is one of complete gratitude.
“I have been blessed by God,” said Johnson. “I really have been blessed.”
This story was originally published November 8, 2014 at 9:09 PM with the headline "On 100th birthday, voter exercises her special right."