Four Chester County residents were inducted into the Pennsylvania Voter Hall of Fame at the Chester County Election Board meeting on April 25. The Voter Hall of Fame was established to acknowledge and honor Pennsylvanians who have voted in every November election for at least 50 years. Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt and Chester County Board of Election members Josh Maxwell, Marian Moskowitz, and Eric Roe joined federal and state elected officials in honoring the four individuals at the start of the public meeting. 

Phoenixville residents Thomas and Irene Clapper and West Chester Borough residents William and Linda Scott have voted consecutively in every November municipal, local, state, and presidential General Election in Pennsylvania for a minimum of five decades.

“These citizens have valued their constitutional right to vote enough to show up for every single election from the first time they were eligible to vote,” Secretary Schmidt said. “They are true role models of good citizenship. I congratulate them for setting a great example that should inspire the rest of us.”

The Board of Election members, Chester County Commissioners Maxwell, Moskowitz, and Roe, said, “More than half of the residents of Chester County weren’t even born the first time Thom and Irene Clapper and Bill and Linda Scott voted. Their voices have played a role in determining the leadership of their municipalities, this county, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the nation for the past 50 years. Their commitment to civic responsibility is remarkable and admirable, and we commend and celebrate these Voter Hall of Fame inductees for their participation in the democratic process.”

Karen Barsoum, the director of the Chester County Department of Voter Services, said, “It is a privilege to recognize Thomas and Irene Clapper and Bill and Linda Scott for their lifelong commitment to democracy and for trusting and supporting the electoral process. In honor of this commitment, Voter Services custom-designed a lapel pin and memory coin to present to the inductees. I thank Secretary Schmidt and the Department of State for honoring and inducting them into the Pennsylvania Voter Hall of Fame.”

Each Voter Hall of Fame inductee was presented with a Voter Hall of Fame certificate from the Pennsylvania State Legislature, along with certificates and citations from the elected officials and the Board of Elections.

“Honoring these four Voter Hall of Fame recipients will bring awareness to a very special recognition in Pennsylvania’s voting history,” added Barsoum. “I encourage anyone who believes they have voted in 50 or more consecutive General Elections in Pennsylvania to contact Voter Services to determine whether they qualify to be inducted into the Voter Hall of Fame.” 

Chester County residents can apply to be a Pennsylvania Voter Hall Fame member by completing a form on the Chester County Department of  Voter Services website, www.chesco.org/elections. Voters Services verifies applications by researching voter records. If the records show 50 consecutive years of voting in the General Elections in Pennsylvania, the application is submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of State for consideration and approval.