Lake Charles veteran, 106, marks 80th trip to the polls

For Earnest Ford Sr., voting remains a priority at age 106. The Lake Charles resident and World War II veteran returned to the voting booth for the 80th time, accompanied by several relatives and friends. He said he has participated in every election since casting his first ballot in 1946.

Although Ford does not get around as much as he once did, he said he has continued to make it to the polls. He described voting as an unbroken commitment over the years and said he has no intention of missing an election. “I ain’t miss a year,” he said.

Ford said he has long recognized the importance of having a say through the ballot. In his view, choosing not to participate affects more than the person who stays home. He said people who do not vote hurt themselves as well as others in circumstances similar to their own.

That emphasis on participation also shaped expectations within his family. His daughter, Sherrell Ford-Pierce, said registering to vote was a requirement as soon as she and her siblings reached 18. Her account reflected how firmly her father’s commitment to voting carried into the expectations he set for his children.

The relatives and friends who joined Ford at the polls were taking part in a familiar arrangement. For those closest to him, accompanying him to vote was nothing new. His latest visit brought them together again around an activity he said he has consistently refused to miss.

Ford-Pierce also asked her father whether he had a favorite hat or shirt to wear when voting, or whether he simply went by himself. While some voters enjoy receiving a commemorative sticker, Ford needed little added encouragement. His daughter summed up his approach: “All you needed was your vote, your voice.”

Speaking a day before the election, Ford said encouraging younger people to exercise their constitutional right to vote was a priority. He challenged the argument that participation makes no difference because those in power will act however they wish. Staying away from the polls, he said, allows them to do just that.

His relatives and friends shared his call for participation, offering a brief, repeated message: “Vote, vote, vote!” For Ford, that appeal accompanies a personal commitment that began with his first ballot in 1946 and has continued into his 106th year.