Fabio Alvarado had one very important thing to do before voting Tuesday: be sworn in as a U.S. citizen.
The 91-year-old Salvadoran immigrant registered to vote and cast his ballot immediately after his naturalization ceremony on Election Day in California. Alvarado was joined by his wife, Marta Sixkho de Alvarado, who became a citizen in September.
The couple have been permanent residents since the late ‘80s but were motivated by Donald Trump’s disparaging comments about immigrants to become citizens this year, according to the Los Angeles Daily News. Alvarado was eligible to vote on Election Day thanks to a 2012 California state law, which allows same-day registration for residents who become U.S. citizens after the voter registration deadline.
New citizens must go to their county registrar’s offices to vote as a precaution against voter fraud, according to Los Angeles Times. Thus the first time voters, who live in Downey, traveled to the LA County Registrar Office in Norwalk, California to cast their ballot.
Lucky for us, and for them, cameras were there to capture the momentous and emotional event. Take a look at the priceless images below:
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