PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) ─ The first presidential election Emma Pezza voted in was when Herbert Hoover faced off against Franklin Roosevelt in 1932.
Now, at 109 years old, the Secretary of State’s office reports that Pezza is the oldest Rhode Islander to vote in what she calls the most contentious election she’s ever witnessed.
“I never saw an election like this, never,” she said.
Pezza, of Johnston, has practiced her right to vote ever since she turned 21, but this year, she cast her ballot by mail due to the pandemic.
The Secretary of State’s office said so far, more than 294,000 Rhode Islanders have voted prior to Election Day, of which roughly 155,000 submitted ballots by mail.
