102-Year-Old Chicago Woman Wears PPE To Mail Ballot: 'Vote!'

CHICAGO, IL — At 102 years old, a Chicago Teachers Union retiree isn't letting the coronavirus pandemic stop her from voting in the Nov. 3 general election, describing it to the "Today" show as by far the most important of her lifetime.

According to an Instagram post shared by the Chicago Teachers Union, Bea Lumpkin chose to vote by mail Thursday, submitting her ballot while sporting head-to-toe personal protective equipment and a hot-pink coat. She told "Today" that voting by mail was the safest option given her age, and all she had to do was walk across the street from her Hyde Park neighborhood apartment to do so. Lumpkin said her PPE look was crafted by her grandson, who included a fan and a vacuum cleaner filter to make voting as safe as possible for her, according to "Today."

A former teacher, Lumpkin cited public education as an issue that drove her to vote this year.

"Public education has a whole has been ... underfunded," Lumpkin told "Today." "Teachers are overworked ... and now are facing the near-impossible job of teaching on the internet without the proper conditions and training."

Lumpkin also told "Today" she recently got word that her ballot was received.

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View this post on Instagram

Good morning! This is 102-year-old CTU retiree Bea Lumpkin casting her vote-by-mail ballot. If Bea can do it, anyone can do it. Vote!
A post shared by Chicago Teachers Union (@ctulocal1) on Oct 1, 2020 at 6:07am PDT