Woman in labor votes before going to hospital

DOLTON, Ill. An Illinois mom-to-be was so determined to cast her vote Tuesday that she made her way to the polls, despite being in labor, CBS Chicago reported.

Galicia Malone, 21, went into labor at 3:00 a.m. Tuesday but held off going to the hospital until she was able to go to her polling place -- the aptly named New Life Celebration Church, in the Chicago suburb of Dolton.

"I never voted before, so this made a major difference in my life," Malone said, according to WBBM Newsradio. "And I wanted this to be a stepping stone for my daughter."

By the time Malone started filling out her ballot, her contractions were coming every five minutes.

"I was just trying to read and breathe, read and breathe," she said.

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As soon as she cast her vote, she drove herself to the hospital to give birth to her daughter.

"If only all voters showed such determination to vote," Cook County Clerk David Orr said in a statement. "My hat goes off to Galicia for not letting anything get in the way of voting. What a terrific example she is showing for the next generation, especially her new son or daughter."