TOLEDO, Ohio — Born in 1922, Sandy Horwitz is a lifelong Toledoan.
"My dad has always been quite the American. His parents came from another country and they were so pleased when they became citizens, and that was so instilled in my father that he felt it was his duty and honor to vote," said his daughter, Laurie Horwitz Cohen.
From a young age, she said her dad encouraged his family to vote regardless of their views.
"He said, 'It doesn't matter if you're Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, right-wing, left-wing, just so you vote," Cohen said.
It's a sentiment her father agreed with.
"No one particular party, just whoever we thought was the best person," Horwitz said.
A Scott high school graduate and Air Force veteran, Sandy first cast his vote through an absentee ballot in 1944 while at war.
Once he returned, he says he used to visit polling houses.
"You'd go in there and everything was crowded around. And they did the various things to vote, with the 'x's' and things. Then they got more modern and started using the churches and the schools, which made it a heck of a lot better," Horwitz said.
Eighty years later, he's still casting a ballot.
"It does make a difference who you vote for, but I think it's important that we all fulfill our obligation as Americans and vote in the various elections," Horwitz said.
However, Horwitz says a lot has changed since World War II. Now, he believes young voters aren't as involved as they used to be.
"Thinking, 'Well my vote doesn't mean anything.,' 'I voted last year,' 'Eh it's too much trouble to get out of the house and go to the polls," he said. "I think that everybody should vote that can vote. And they have so many ways that you can vote and not leave your house and I think that people should take advantage of it."