Jacksonville woman, 100, encourages people to vote

POLL: Florida deadlocked before Nov. 8 election 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Obama, Trump in Jacksonville 

Alice Thomas remembers Civil Rights Days well. It was a tough time for blacks in America.

“You were afraid because it was 'n-word this, colored this, and colored that, you know what I mean? That was your name all the time,” Alice Thomas said.

Black people couldn't freely and peacefully vote until 1965 when President LBJ signed the Voting Rights Act into law. That’s why, at 100, Thomas proudly did her part.

The very first day of early voting, Thomas went out to Edgewood Library and cast her ballot. She says as long as she's been able to, she's been voting.

“We should vote because, just think – where God has brought us from,” Thomas said.

Early voting as whole is up, but it's slim among blacks. Nationwide, the average for that demographic so far is just 15 percent, compared to 25 percent four years ago.

In Florida, it's worse.

“Here in Florida, they're a little over 11 percent or 12 percent. The last couple of elections, they've been up over 13," Michael Binder, Associate Professor of Political Science at UNF, said. "We still have not had the last Sunday before Election Day, which is rational “Souls to the Polls”, where the black churches get out their voters, mobilize, so I would expect this number to be up even more."

A for Thomas, she encourages everyone to vote. When asked who she’s supporting, she laughed.

“I was glad about that too -- to vote for a woman," Thomas said. "Shoot. We’ve come a might long ways."

Cox Media Group