Suburban Chicago Woman Votes En Route To Hospital To Give Birth

By Chuck Sudo in News on Nov 6, 2012 8:00PM

Here's a story from the "if you don't vote, don't bitch" file: A woman in south suburban Dolton who was voting in her first presidential election stopped at her polling place on the way to the hospital to give birth. Galicia Malone, 21, stopped at the appropriately named New Life Celebration Church to vote, her water already broken.

Malone went into labor at 3 a.m. CST when she arrived at her polling place and told WBBM-AM and FM she held off on going to the hospital because she felt it was important to cast her vote.

“I never voted before so this made a major difference in my life,” she said. “And I wanted this to be a stepping-stone for my daughter.”

When Malone arrived at her polling place her contractions were already five minutes apart, but that didn't stop her from taking her time and working her way down the ballot. Once she completed voting, she drove herself to South Suburban Hospital. (No excuses to vote, indeed.)

Cook County Clerk David Orr praised Malone's determination in a statement.

"My hat goes off to Galicia for not letting anything get in the way of voting. What a terrific example she is showing for the next generation, especially her new son or daughter."