Tim Kaine is known for being early. And true to form, he showed up to the polls in Richmond at 5:45 a.m. But 99-year-old Minerva Turpin was already in line.

Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton, walked to the polling place in their neighborhood and got in line before sunrise, where they were greeted by Turpin.

“So she welcomed me—she was the first voter, I was the second voter. She pinned my ‘you “voted’ sticker on after I completed my ballot,” Kaine said. “Ms. Turpin gave me reason to believe that I might win her vote. I voted at a senior center that’s two blocks from my house. She is the president of the residents’ association.”

Speaking to reporters, Kaine said he planned to have breakfast with friends and hang out at home in Richmond before heading up to New York. “It’s kind of like we’ve done all we can do, and now it’s in the hands of the voters. But we feel really comfortable about it and it’s so nice to be back in the neighborhood.”

By the time he left, a line had formed around the building. “The sign of a vigorous democracy is one where a lot of people participate,” Kaine said.

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