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Saturday, November 17, 2012

A great article about my father's first time voting for a U.S. president in November 2012

"I Voted My Heart" An article from the Alexandria Gazette newspaper




First-time voter for president waited long time to perform his civic duty.

— Nov. 6, 2012 was an important day for 74-year-old Pablo A. Rodriguez. He dressed himself up in a grey suit and a white shirt in the morning, then went to Agudas Achim Congregation with his son-in-law and grandson to cast his ballots. After voting, Rodriguez went outside the polling place and took a picture of himself pointing at the “I voted” button on his chest.
This was the first time that Rodriguez could be able to vote for a U.S. president. He waited for this day for half a century.
“I was really excited because it was my first time,” Rodriguez said. “And I voted my heart.”
Rodriguez was born in Havana, Cuba. It’s a beautiful place where 300 days of a year are sunny, he recalls. When the Cuba Revolution broke out, he was a freshman studying medicine. Later, Rodriguez’s school was shut down as the situation became worse. His father decided to let him go to Washington, D.C. to stay with his brother for a while. In February 1958, 19-year-old Rodriguez left his country.

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