By Salma El-Sakka
Kansas voter Tessa Von Fange went into active labor Monday while casting her ballot at the Shawnee County Elections Office in Topeka, delivering her daughter hours later.
Determined to vote despite contractions
Von Fange, who rarely misses an election, arrived at the polling site with contractions about five minutes apart. She had a scheduled induction for after Election Day but insisted on voting first. "I was 100 percent in denial until my water broke," she told WIBW from her hospital bed.
Poll worker with medical training assists
An election worker with emergency medical training brought Von Fange a ballot and stayed nearby, according to Assistant Election Commissioner Jake Fisher. Fisher said Von Fange was not overly concerned because her first pregnancy had been lengthy, but this one progressed faster than expected.
Daughter born early Tuesday
Von Fange left the polling site with a "Future Voter" sticker on her belly. Her daughter, Morgan, was born at 1:16 a.m. Tuesday, weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce. Her husband, Chris Von Fange, said he was "shocked" and "overwhelmed" when he learned the news.
Message to other voters
The couple urged others to make time for elections regardless of circumstances. "No matter what you have going on, there's always a half-hour of your time that can be spent to go to a polling place to have your vote cast," Chris Von Fange said.
