Senior Citizen Vote Could be Critical to US Presidential Election

[Nicholas_J]

America's older citizens are one of the nation's larger and most loyal voting groups. Senior citizens will likely play a key role in deciding the next president of the United States.
America's senior citizens are some of the most active and enthusiastic voters in the country. In the 2000 presidential election 72 percent of registered seniors - 65 to 75 years old - cast ballots.

"Older voters are the most reliable voters in America. They vote out of a sense I think of civic obligation, says John Rother, Policy Director for AARP, a non-partisan, non-profit organization representing 35 million Americans 50 years and older. He says older people are a target for Republican President George Bush and his Democratic Party challenger John Kerry.

"At the presidential level the older vote has genuinely shifted with the majority of votes in the country,” he said. “So, usually the winner has also won the majority of the Senior vote. So we are not seeing a predominantly Democratic or a predominantly Republican but rather very much like the rest of the population, people making judgments on the individual candidate and on the issues."

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=3FE3DE6D-55E6-4C60-86DFF37C1EA02C04&title=Senior%20Citizen%20Vote%20Could%20be%20Critical%20to%20US%20Presidential%20Election&catOID=45C9C78F-88AD-11D4-A57200A0CC5EE46C&categoryname=USA

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

1. And Greenspan's announcement today

SHOULD go a long way in getting some of that vote for Kerry.

[Nicholas_J]

2. All of the polls that break down

by age, give Kerry big lead among people over 65, a few of them giving Kerry as large as a three to one lead over Bush in that age group.

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

3. That's just

terrific! I just don't understand why any baby-boomers would vote for the shrub.

[candy]

4. Baby boomers aren't seniors.

[Psst_Im_Not_Here]

5. That depends on your definition of senior

My father is 61 and a baby boomer. I know the article describes them as 65 and older but 4 years is pretty darned close. Not that he would consider himself a senior!

I would respectfully suggest that the baby boomer voting group is pretty strong as well considering most are heading into the "senior" category.

[candy]

6. Your father isn't a boomer according to everything I have ever---

read on the subject.

The baby-boom started in 1945 and ended in 1964.The oldest boomers are not 60 yet.

[Nicholas_J]

7. Baby boomers

Now run from about 50-65 years old (the average years for the Boomers go from those born just at the end of World War II to about 1960. Which pretty much places the boomer generation at the beginning of retirement, or within a few years of retirement, falling into age groups that Kerry has his strongest support in. There is some argument as to when the boomers started, and when it stopped. Some iclude those born during WW II in the group, and some include as late as 1965 as the end year. Other definitions go from about 1938 to 1952, so depending on which sociologists you read, the baby boomers could run anywhere from people ages about 55 to 68 years old.

[bobbieinok]

8. delete.........

[desertalien]

9. I'm a babyboomer 1948

and my mother is 81. She is voting for Kerry!

:bounce:

[Nicholas_J]

10. As I said

most polls reflect that kerrys strongest support right now comes from those over 65, under 30, and between 50 and 65. Kerry polls higher in these three groupd than Bush. Bush only polls higher than Kerry in the 30-49 age group. In several polls I have seen, Kery gets in the high 60 percentage in over 65 voters, and Bush gets around mid to high 30's. IN the under 30's Kerry gets support in the mid to high 50's, and for those from 50-64 in the mid 50's. BUsh gets in the mid 60's in among the 30-49 year age group.

[rullery]

11. Well I'm 68, and my mother is 90

so I guess we are seniors. Both of us are mad as hell that the new medicare bill does not allow the government to negotiate fair drug prices. This provision was put in by the republicans, and most seniors know it. We would be voting for Kerry anyway, but I know that some of our republican friends are considering voting for Kerry too. They may pay lip service to Bush now, but once they get inside the privacy of the polling booth, I think a lot of people will vote for Kerry. Regardless of what polls may be showing now, I suspect Kerry will do much better than expected in November. Hopefully his coattails will be long enough to take back the senate and the house too!