Devoted voters earn spots in Hall of Fame
Their votes might have been secret, but 89 Butler County citizens' devotion to their civic duty brought them a measure of fame and a certificate.
The voters were acknowledged in a ceremony and reception ushering them into the Voter Hall of Fame June 21 at the Tanglewood Center, 10 Austin Ave. Lyndora.
Administered by the Pa. Department of State's Elections Bureau, the Voter Hall of Fame was established to acknowledge and honor Pennsylvanians who have voted in every November election for at least 50 consecutive years.
Shari Brewer, director of the Butler County Bureau of Elections, said, “You have to vote in 50 consecutive general elections, every November election.”
“We have this ceremony every four years,” Brewer said. “The Butler County commissioners give them Hall of Fame certifications in a 90-minute ceremony.”
Brewer said there are other conscientious voters in the county who didn't come to the ceremony.
“We notify them by letter inviting them to the ceremony. If they decline, we mail them the certificate,” she said.
This year, she said, 89 accepted the invitation and 46 declined.
“And then we had another 66 people who didn't respond. We mailed their certificates,” she said.
She said, “I think to have voted in 50 consecutive elections deserves some recognition.”
One of those recognized was Bob Hillberry, 86, of Butler.“I loved it. Everything went well. I never dreamed of anything like this,” said Hillberry.He's been hitting the polling stations so long and so often he said he can't exactly remember the first time he punched a ballot.“I'm not sure, it was a long time ago. It was John Kennedy or back before that,” he said.He remembered going to vote in trying conditions.“It was raining so hard and it was in the fall so it would be raining or snowing,” said Hillberry.For the last 20 years, he said he's been casting his votes at a polling station in the Methodist Church on North Duffy Road.“Over the years, everybody got to know me,” he said.“I think it is very important to vote,” said Hillberry. “I would tell everyone to get out and vote. Your vote is very important to the safety of the country.”The Hall of Fame ceremony was a familiar one to John Mahler, 100, of Center Township. He attended his first Hall of Fame event 25 years ago.Mahler said he's voted in every election for the last 79 years.He remembers the first time. “I was 21 years old, coming home from the mill in the morning,” he said.“In 1944 I was overseas so I had an absentee ballot,” Mahler said.Mahler lives in the same Center Township home he's lived in for the last 64 years and votes at the polling station in the Unionville fire hall.Asked why he's filled out so many ballots over so many years, Mahler said, “I say it's (voting) more of an obligation. If you have an interest in the country, you should vote for the officials you want in there, even if it turns out they are not who they say they are. It's a privilege to vote.”
