“As long as I was able to vote, I did vote,” she said.
Mrs. Murray will be celebrating her 97th birthday this December and has been witness to the changes her country has gone through.
What never changed, though, was the sight of a white man in the White House and Mrs. Murray - like many Americans - never expected a black presidential nominee. Now she believes a woman may be president one day.
“All of that comes up as exciting. Everybody’s excited,” she said. “You just don’t know how the polls are going to do.”
Mrs. Murray, a lifelong resident of Belton, has been interested in politics for years. She was a poll worker for about four years and enjoyed teaching people how to use the polling machines.
She said people have become more educated about voting and pick their candidates wisely.
Mrs. Murray has always voted for the Democratic Party and cast her vote for Barack Obama this election.
“The way I listen to him talk and everything, I believe he’ll help the whole United States,” she said.
She believes Obama is the best choice considering the state of the economy. She worries about people losing their homes and believes Obama’s promises to provide jobs.
“I think as smart as they are now, going to the moon and all that, they’d be able to work out how to help the economy,” she said.
She believes if people have jobs they will be able to provide an education for their children, which will in turn help the economy.
Voting is a privilege, Mrs. Murray said, and she thinks everyone should exercise this privilege. Though she calls herself a Democrat and claims John F. Kennedy as her favorite president, she isn’t too worried about the outcome of this year’s election.
“I’ve survived and got along with all the presidents - Democrat and Republican,” she said. “You know one of them is going to get it. Whatever one of them gets it, we’ll live. We always have.”
bmcclane@temple-telegram.com
