“His Last Act” – Hesperus Man casts first general election ballot before his death

Poll workers went to the bedside of a dying man to record the vote

Fritz Herbine was determined.

The Korean War veteran was 98. The Hesperus resident and his late wife were something of a Democratic enthusiast, as their daughter Kate Feldman described them.

“(They) were stomping up and down: ‘You gotta vote, you gotta vote,'” Feldman said. “You’ve always been like this.”

Feldman told her father that former President Jimmy Carter, who turned 100 on Oct. 1, said before his birthday that living long enough to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris was more important to him than 100 years to get old.

Herbine also wanted to vote.

So Feldman called La Plata County Clerk and Recorder Tiffany Lee to see what could be done. Nothing, was the answer, until September 21st – the first day a ballot can be given to voters in Colorado. As that date approached, Feldman called again and spoke to Lee.

“She said, ‘We’re coming, we’re coming to your father’s bedside,'” Feldman said. “I thought, ‘Are you really kidding me?'”

On Saturday, September 21, Lee arrived with two election judges, one Democrat and one Republican, in tow. Herbine was weak – he could barely speak, his daughter said. Even though he needed it, he didn’t take morphine.

Herbine clutched Lee’s hand as she asked if he knew what they were doing.

“Vote,” he replied with a nod.

Lee, who is not affiliated with a political party, went through the list of candidates in each race and read off their name and party before Herbine responded with his picks.

Just as when a voter’s markings on a ballot are unclear and must be interpreted by judges to determine intent, Lee and the bipartisan delegation had to agree on Herbine’s intent.

“Without a doubt, all three of us said, ‘We know exactly what this man wanted,'” Lee said.

Herbine voted straight for the Democrats, Feldman said.

When he finished, Lee and the judges saw Herbine put a stamp on the envelope – it was too weak to sign his name, but the pen stroke the trio observed was enough to meet the state’s requirements .

“She said, ‘We’re done, Fritz,’ and he just closed his eyes and leaned back,” his daughter said. “… She (Lee) looked at all of us and said, ‘Fritz Herbine is the first person to vote in the 2024 election in La Plata County.'”

In an atmosphere where county election officials face increasing criticism in addition to threats or acts of violence, helping people vote is a sacred and empowering job for election officials.

“It’s really an honor to hear that this person has passed away and they still want the opportunity to vote,” Lee said. “Still, I can’t get 18- to 35-year-olds to vote if we offer all these easy choices, can I?”

About 48 hours later, Herbine died, having spoken perhaps only a few words.

“It was his last act,” Feldman said.

His lawfully cast ballot will continue to be counted, a spokesman for the Colorado Secretary of State confirmed.

[email protected]

Copy article link