Politics & Government
Hollin Hall Resident Votes in U.S. for the First Time
Haroldo Suarez, 69, is originally from Colombia but became a citizen of the U.S. in March.
There's almost nothing more American than exercising your right to vote — providing your opinion on those you feel should serve you as a U.S. citizen and your community. And on Tuesday, Hollin Hall-area resident Haroldo Suarez, 69, officially voted for the first time.
Suarez didn't say who he voted for Tuesday afternoon, but like many Alexandria residents, he has every intention of holding his local officials accountable.
"I know I can now say to them, 'What are you doing? Earn your pay,'" Suarez said jokingly, just minutes after casting his vote at Hollin Hall Senior Center.
Suarez, a Colombian native, moved to the U.S. in August 1969 after living in Austria from 1967 to 1969. He said he had an international visa, but became an official U.S. citizen in March.
"My wife was born in Washington, D.C., and she grew up in New York," he said. "She is very active in the community and I've lived here for 47 years and have coached soccer for many years and sometimes worked with scouts. Through my wife, I always knew what was going on but I wasn't able to vote. After retiring, I decided to become involved."
Suarez worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for 35 years before retiring. He is now a parent liaison for Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). He is also president of the Magdalena Foundation, Inc., which works to "improve and promote academic excellence, social amelioration, to provide job opportunities for the poor thus alleviating poverty in the State of Magdalena in Colombia, South America."
According to Hollin Hall Center Chief Elections Officer Laura Davis, Suarez was one of almost 800 voters who cast their votes at the precinct by noon Tuesday. Davis said they received steady traffic throughout the day, including a line of people waiting when they first opened at 6 a.m.
Minor issues came up when a few veterans who had been overseas for awhile came in to vote but Davis said the elections staff was efficient with identifying them and getting them through the voting process.
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