Voters 50+ Have the Power to Decide on November 5
With Vermont’s general election just over a month away, data from AARP shows that voters age 50 plus decide elections, and they want politicians to address the issues that matter most to them and their families.
In Vermont, a powerful 59 percent of the electorate in 2020 was age 50 plus, adding up to 214,000 voters. In 2020, 53 percent of Vermont’s voters 50+ were women and 76 percent were from rural areas of the state.
“We know that voters 50 plus are the majority of voters in every election, and they are stretched to the limit,” said Greg Marchildon, state director of AARP Vermont, which serves more than 110,000 members aged 50 and older in Vermont. “When we ask members, they tell us they want to elect candidates who will address their day-to-day challenges, like caring for their loved ones and protecting their hard-earned Social Security.”
According to Marchildon, that’s why AARP is committed to giving voters in Vermont and across the nation trusted, up-to-date information on when, where, and how to vote in the 2024 elections. “We want to make sure that everyone can make their voices heard on the issues that matter most to them.”
AARP research shows more than 48 million Americans - one in five voters - are family caregivers who help with everything from buying groceries and managing medications to bathing and dressing. These hardworking family members often put their own finances and jobs at risk to care for a loved one, providing more than $600 billion in unpaid care each year and saving taxpayers billions by keeping loved ones at home and out of costly Medicaid-funded nursing homes. In Vermont that equates to 70,000 unpaid family caregivers contributing more than 66 million hours of unpaid care each year, valued at approximately $1.23 billion.
“Candidates in all political parties have a big opportunity to win these important voters,” said Marchildon, “especially if they focus on issues of importance to family caregivers, which at some point will impact all families.”
AARP research also reveals another issue of importance to AARP members aged 50 plus this election year: the sustainability of Social Security. Current projections show that if members of the US House and Senate don’t act in the next 10 years to protect and save this program, which is vital to American workers of all ages, Social Security payments could be cut by 20%, an average of $4,000 a year which is a consequential amount to many retirees who have contributed for decades.
“AARP members have long been the deciders in elections,” Marchildon added. “Candidates, regardless of party, would be wise to discuss and offer solutions to the issues that matter most to voters age 50 plus and their families.”
For more information on AARP’s voter education efforts in Vermont, visit aarp.org/vtvotes
