Walking down the street clad in a crocheted white cowboy hat and a t-shirt emblazoned with a heart-shaped American flag, 68-year-old Darlene Manus has just cast her ballot at Rosemont Avenue Elementary School in Angelino Heights, a small quarter in Echo Park.

As a retired insurance company employee, Manus is more concerned with individual rights rather than the economy. For that reason, she has voted for President Barack Obama for the second time.

“I support a woman’s right to choose and covering contraception under insurance…I’m not positive, but I think Viagra is covered under insurance plans, so birth control should be, too,” said Manus.

SEE ALSO: Ohio, Virginia And Florida Will Show Election Outcome

During the 2008 presidential election, Manus supported Hillary Clinton but felt that she had to be a realist when it came to politics.

“I figured we’d have a black man elected as president before a woman of any color,” explained Manus.

Mitt Romney’s pro-life stance deterred Manus from even considering voting for the Republican presidential candidate.

“Republicans always talk about keeping government out of business yet they want to infringe on half the nation’s rights,” Manus said.

In her opinion, women’s issues have always gotten “a short shrift,” but especially in this year’s election, which has been highly focused on the economy and job creation.

“Of course, the economy is bad, and rightly so, they should focus on jobs and the economy,” said Manus. “but Republicans try to twist it and hide the way they handle women’s issues, which is not fair to women.”

As a third-generation Japanese American who was born in an internment camp in Arizona, Manus values her right to vote and the importance of participating in the political process.

SEE ALSO: Red Votes In A Blue State

“You have so many people wanting to come to this country – people are fighting to get in,” said Manus. “In this country, you can vote, not vote – anything you want.”

Her vote for Obama may not be as important as in the battleground states, she admitted, but Manus has another reason for visiting the polling booth today.

“If you don’t vote, you don’t get to complain!”

Reach reporter Tricia Tongco here and follow her on Twitter.