As the van pulled away from Peabody Place and headed to the polls at Franklin High School, the senior citizens aboard reminisced about prior elections and what voting means to them.

“We used to have booths with curtains and machines that had little levers that you pulled forward to vote,” Doris Weinberg said. “There may have been eight levers for eight votes for different people. When you decided, you pulled the handle and it clicked all those votes into the machine. It was very easy.”

Peabody Place residents chose to vote in-person rather than sending in an absentee ballot. Their Franklin retirement community provided free transportation for any of its residents looking to vote on Election Day and ran a van to the polls and back multiple times.

For Weinberg, 92, voting reminds her of the value of being an American citizen.

“We’re very blessed we can vote so freely and that we have a choice,” Weinberg said. “It’s an honor and a privilege to vote and you can’t do it all over the world. Take advantage of it and never miss an election.”

She first came of age to vote while in college but was unable to cast a ballot because absentee voting had not yet become popularized. Weinberg also recalls initially visiting the polls before she could legally vote.

“I can remember going in with my mother and hanging onto her coattails while she voted. That was a long time ago,” she added.

76-year-old Cindy Spain emphasized her excitement around going to vote at the high school.

“It feels very very good to vote in person. When you give up your car, you don’t have much choice,” Spain said. “Back in the heyday, I used to stand there at the polls with signs. It was great, I loved it.”

Fellow Peabody Place resident Paul Phelps underscored the effort that some senior citizens put into voting at the polls.

“It means a lot because I wouldn’t be doing this otherwise, for sure,” Paul Phelps said on the way into the building. “Especially this time around, I think it’s critically important that the right people earn the right place.”

Activity assistants Chloe McCauley and Wendy Plourde took charge of transporting people to and from Peabody Place.

“We love this community so much and to be able to bring people to go and vote – which is such a great right to have – it means a lot to both of us,” McCauley said. “No matter any obstacles that come up, we always make it work. That’s just always been our motto.”

Plourde drove the van and mentioned trying to scope out potential logistical obstacles ahead of time. Residents took the elevator from the ground floor of the school down to the polling location. Any help they needed, Plourde and McCauley were ready to provide.

“I really think it’s a privilege, and that goes to being an American. You don’t want anyone to be prevented. A ride shouldn’t be an excuse. There has to be a way to get somebody there, whether it’s absentee voting or that kind of thing,” Plourde said.

Anyone who wanted to vote in person had the opportunity to ride in the van, Plourde added. Some residents chose to vote with family members, while others opted to mail in absentee ballots.

After casting his vote, Phelps said he felt good but was relieved the election would be over soon.

“It’s been a struggle over a long period of time,” he said. “Things have come in and gone out, as you know from watching television. To get to this point, there isn’t more after. We’ll have whoever we pick, but hopefully we have a better realization of what we’re looking for from what we’ve been getting.”

Weinberg said she grew “tired” of all the televised coverage ahead of the election.

“I hope that it’s a nice, honest election. I never thought about people being dishonest. I always just assumed that things were taken care of,” she said. “I hope that the right person will win. I don’t know how many more elections I might be voting in, so it felt good that I’m still here to vote.”

Spain added that she doesn’t expect any presidential results to be announced tonight. She says she hopes there won’t be fighting over votes and ballots this year like in the last election.

“We would hear about the results of the election on the radio. No television. Or the next day’s newspapers,” Spain said.

Voters received “I voted” stickers designed by New Hampshire students, complete with drawings of the Old Man in the Mountain, moose, American flags, and more.

“The children, it makes them feel good. It’s going to help them when it’s time for them to vote. They’ll remember this,” Spain said, pointing to her sticker.

Weinberg felt encouraged by the number of young people she saw at the polls.

“I thought, keep it up every year,” she said.

Rachel Wachman can be reached at rwachman@cmonitor.com