Tessa Von Fange gives birth hours after voting in Shawnee County
The Kansas voter, who expected to wait for an induction, delivered a daughter at 1:16 a.m. on Election Day after going into labor at the polls.
By Ethan Cook ·
Tessa Von Fange delivered a healthy daughter at 1:16 a.m. on Nov. 3, just hours after casting her ballot at the Shawnee County Elections Office in Topeka. The newborn, named Morgan, weighed 8 pounds and 1 ounce.
Von Fange, a longtime voter in the area, stated she has rarely missed an election. She said she did not think there were too many elections she had skipped and that she certainly did not miss any as she got older.
The couple had expected the baby to arrive after Election Day. Von Fange noted that she planned to make it to her scheduled induction and believed she would not have the child before that date. Her husband, Chris Von Fange, said an election worker contacted him to inform him that his wife was in labor. He described the moment as shocking and overwhelming, saying the call brought millions of questions.
Von Fange said she was in complete denial until her water broke. She had already chosen the baby's name before the trip. While the girl is named Morgan, she noted that if the baby had been a boy, the name would have been Chad.
After voting, Von Fange received a future voter sticker from the elections office. She said it was the only sticker she received, but she stuck it directly on her belly and arrived at the hospital with it still on.
The couple encouraged others to make time for the ballot. Chris Von Fange said that no matter what is going on, there is always half an hour of time that can be spent to go to a polling place and have a vote cast.
