Jimmy Carter says he hopes to cast vote for Harris

(The Hill) — Former President Jimmy Carter says he hopes to cast his ballot for Vice President Kamala Harris in the upcoming election.

As Carter nears his 100^th birthday, beating former President Trump is one of the only things on his mind.

“I’m only trying to make it to vote for Kamala Harris,” Carter told his son Chip, his grandson Jason Carter told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Carter’s 100^th birthday is on Oct. 1. He first entered hospice care in Feb. 2023 and has outlived his wife, Rosalynn Carter, who died last November.

Jason Carter said his grandfather has been “more alert and interested in politics and the war in Gaza” in recent days. He previously updated the public in June that Carter was no longer awake every day.

TOPSHOT – Former President Jimmy Carter departs after the funeral service for former first lady Rosalynn Carter at Maranatha Baptist Church, in Plains, Georgia, on November 29, 2023. Carter died on November 19, 2023, at the age of 96, just two days after joining her husband in hospice care at their house in Plains. (Photo by Alex Brandon / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEX BRANDON/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

The former president’s grandson said Chip asked Carter if he was trying to make it to his 100^th birthday. For the former president, it’s less about making it to the century mark, and more about being able to cast his ballot for Harris, the outlet reported.

Early voting in Georgia begins on Oct. 15, so Carter won’t have to wait too long after his birthday to cast his historic vote for Harris.

Harris officially became the Democratic Party’s nominee on Friday, earning enough votes in a virtual roll call. After President Biden suspended his campaign, Democrats have coalesced around Harris, breaking donation records and supporting her historic bid for the presidency.

The Hill has reached out to the Carter Center for comment.