New citizen casts first vote

Brookfield Newcomers Club co-president Ninka Giraudet proudly bore a “I Voted’’ sticker on her bright orange jacket because this was her very first national election, earning the Constitution right when the Holland native became a U.S. citizen three weeks ago. Her French husband, Jean-Denis, earned his citizenship back in April.

“It was very emotional,’’ Giraudet said of casting her first vote for the leader of the free world.

Giraudet’s first taste of America came as a student between 1985 and 1991 at the University of Vermont. She worked for a tiem on Wall Street and then returned to her home country and married her French husband, relocating to France and eventually to Sweden. In 2000, the couple moved with their then-two young daughters, Charlotte and Capucine, now 17 and 15, to the United States where they lived in both Tennessee and Alabama before ending up in Brookfield in 2010.

With her first vote, Giraudet said she feels like a true American.

As for who she picked, Giraudet elected to maintain the privacy of the voting booth. She said her choice was rooted in “common sense.’’

“That’s what this country needs. People need to discuss things and try to do what’s best for the common good. This is to great a country to be polarized. You can’t be home bickering. This is such a treasure you have. We need to find solutions to problems.’’

She said what she appreciates most about America is that regardless what choices people intend to make in the voting booth they can still leave and be friendly with those who may see it a different way. Indeed, the atmosphere at Brookfield High School was completely cordial despite those waving signs for incumbent President Barack Obama or his Republican challenger Mitt Romney.

“No matter what side of the aisle you are on, you’re an American,’’ Giraudet said. “In Europe, you don’t have that.’’

 

Nanci Hutson