Theodore Roosevelt was president when Marge Hanley, of Glassport, was born in 1908.

Lauren Pusateri, a Keystone Oaks High School student from Castle Shannon, was born in 1987, when Ronald Reagan was in the White House.

The two women from different generations have never met, but share something in common: Their belief that voting is an important American right.

Both are Democrats. Lauren said she had considered registering Independent, but decided against it because she would be ineligible to vote in most primaries.

Lauren cast her first vote Tuesday at Castle Shannon Library.

Mrs. Hanley has been voting since 1935.

"If you don't vote, you don't have any business crying about what's going on. You've got to vote. I don't care if you're voting for the garbage man," Mrs. Hanley, 97, said.

Her daughter, Rosemary Smith, of North Huntingdon, said her mother stays abreast of current events and watches CNN with a clipboard in hand, taking notes on the latest events and trends.

Lauren's father, James, a sheet fabricator, said he encouraged his daughter to vote and told her, "When you don't like how this country is run, you have a right to vote and change things. But I never told her who to vote for. When she is behind the curtain, that's up to her."

Lauren, who was born Oct. 2, 1987, said she watches CNN but was more interested in learning about other countries' politics by watching channels on her family's satellite dish.

Mrs. Hanley has been involved in politics for as long as she has voted. Her husband, Angus, who died in 1970, was a constable in the 1930s and a borough councilman in the 1940s and '50s.

She said she was always "behind the scenes," working at the polls or making hundreds of calls to persuade undecided people to vote for her candidates.

"She was really quite good. She could swing people her way," said another daughter, Nancy Tall, of Oakland. "People used to say, 'If you're running for office, get hold of Marge Hanley. She'll help you get in,' " Mrs. Tall said.

Her daughters said Mrs. Hanley still makes numerous calls to sway voters.

During World War II, Mrs. Hanley worked as a foreman at Pittsburgh Steel Foundry. She also worked as a clerk at Continental Can's accounting department until she retired at age 67.

Mrs. Hanley was active in social clubs and women's auxiliaries and was named Woman of the Year in 1991 by the McKeesport Business and Professional Women's Club.

When she was growing up, her town was mostly registered Republican.

"If you mentioned to someone you were a Democrat, you got a pink slip in your pay," Mrs. Hanley said.

"I worked very hard for John Kerry," she said. But she said if a Republican governor and senator are voted in this November, "I think I'm going to just forget about the whole thing.''

Lauren has been a junior council member, sitting on the dais with Castle Shannon council since January. The program, also in place in other boroughs, is designed to get students involved in community government. She is invited to participate in discussions but is unable to vote.

She attends every meeting and updates council on high school activities, Mayor Donald Baumgarten said.

She applied for junior council "because I think it is great a young person gets a say in what the government is doing."

All her friends have registered and planned to vote Tuesday.

She plans to attend Duquesne University to study pharmacy.

Lauren is active in Students Against Destructive Decisions (formerly Students Against Drunk Drivers), the Future Business Leaders of America and the Fly Fishing Club.

"I don't know if I'll ever run for office. I'm lucky I know what I'm doing next week."