'I just wanted to vote': Cleona Rosie the Riveter honored for voting 81 years in a row

Yahoo

12-05-2025

The first time Lorraine Koons ever voted in a presidential election was in 1944, when she voted for then President Franklin D. Roosevelt's fourth term.
"I wasn't old enough for the primary that year," she said. "You had to be 21 to vote then in those years, and so I was only 21 in time for the general election."
Since then, Koons has voted 81 years in a row, saying that she "never ever" thought about skipping an election and not submitting a ballot.
"I think voting to me is an important part of life," she said. "You're helping your government in a small way."
That why members of the Lebanon County Lebanon County Bureau of Elections and Voter Registration, along with county and state election officials, came out to Lebanon Valley Home May 9 to acknowledge the 102-year-old Koons' dedication to fulfilling her civic obligation.
"I think it's wonderful," she said. "They really surprised me. I didn't expect all this."
Koons recently wrote the elections office a letter saying that she had recently moved, and a certificate and a commemorative plate she received in 1997 honoring her induction into the Pennsylvania Voter Hall of Fame had gone missing. The Voter Hall of Fame acknowledges commonwealth residents who have voted in every November election for at least 50 consecutive years.
"She wanted to know if there was any way to get a copy of at least the certificate because she would like to pass that along someday," Elections Director Sean Drasher said.
In the process of helping Koons, the elections office staff realized that she had continued her voting record for almost 82 years. The event Friday was supposed to be a small affair, but Drasher said that once state and county officials found out they wanted to join in as well.
"People like Lorraine remind us that we still have a civic obligation to get out there and vote," he said. "And to do it with such a cheery smile, she's a great ambassador."
Koons, who spent all but the last three years living in Cleona, graduated from Lebanon High School in 1940 and began working at the Cleona Paper Box Factory. Last year she spoke with the Lebanon Daily News about her time as a "Rosie the Riveter," helping to repair U.S. aircraft at the Middletown Air Depot during World War II.
"I worked in the fuselage department," she said. "That department put in new gas tanks and we worked on the oxygen systems and the oil systems. We repaired any damage that was made from enemy fire."
In December 2024, Koons received the Rosie the Riveter Congressional Medal of Honor for her service.
Lorraine Koons: Cleona Rosie the Riveter's proudest moments: working the air depot and lifetime of voting
But as proud as she is about her time as a Rosie, Koons is also grateful for her chance to vote in every election. Voting became important to her at a young age, through her aunt who was very politically minded.
"When I was just little, I had an aunt that was very active in local politics," she said. "She took me along with her to all the conventions, rallies and speeches. ... I couldn't wait till I was 21. I just wanted to vote."
To celebrate her voting record May 9, the election office staff got Koons a cake, baseball hat, a card and an elections blanket. State Rep. Russ Diamond presented Koons with a House of Representatives proclamation, and state Rep. Chris Gebhard, along with County Commissioners Michael Kuhn and Jo Ellen Litz, also expressed their congratulations.
Koons said that it's a privilege to go out and vote, especially during the primary.
"So many people think, 'Oh I'm not going to vote in the primary,' and that's the important one," she said. "That's when you pick the people that are going to run."
The Pennsylvania 2025 municipal primary is scheduled for May 20.
Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at [e-mail] or on X at @DAMattToth.
This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Cleona Rosie the Riveter recognized for 81-year voting record