An elderly woman dips her finger into purple ink, signifying that she had cast her vote in Yangon, Myanmar, November 2015. She, like many others, had waited her entire life for this moment.
In 2015, after more than half a century of military rule, Myanmar transitioned to a democratic government in what was called the first free and fair election in the country's history. Young voters cast their ballots for the first time, and the elderly shed tears as the moment they had waited a lifetime for came to pass. Tens of thousands took to the streets to witness the historic moment as vote tallies were publicized on huge monitors across Yangon.