Poll Pennsylvanians 50 will play a major role in the November election / Public News Service

A new poll for AARP Pennsylvania found that candidates should focus on issues crucial to voters 50 and older ahead of the November election.

The influential voting bloc makes up more than half of the state’s electorate, and 85% told pollsters they are “extremely motivated” to cast their ballots.

Bill Johnston-Walsh, state director of AARP Pennsylvania, said voters 50 and older will be critical in determining who wins in November.

“Voters age 50 and older are the largest voting bloc in Pennsylvania and nationwide,” Johnston-Walsh explains. “They consistently show up to the polls and we expect this year to be no different.”

Johnston-Walsh added that older voters made up 55% of all Pennsylvania voters in the 2020 election, and in the 2022 midterm elections they made up 62% of the state’s voters. He noted that they expect these numbers to grow ahead of this year’s general election.

Bob Ward of the polling firm Fabrizio Ward said voters over 50 prioritize economic issues and will support candidates who protect Social Security and support caregivers.

“Looking at it from an electoral perspective, it’s not surprising that older voters are more likely to vote for the candidates who say they will ensure workers get the Social Security benefits they paid for,” Ward noted. “The big picture among voters 50+ is that economic issues are of paramount importance.”

Jeffrey Liszt, partner at Impact Research, said Pennsylvania voters, particularly 31% of those ages 50 to 64, have a high percentage of family care responsibilities and are expressing concerns about service delivery.

“More than 40% of these caregivers spend more than 20 hours a week caring for a loved one, which is why it is such an important topic for them,” Liszt explains. “That’s why more than three-quarters of over-50s say they will reward candidates who provide more support to informal caregivers.”

A significant proportion of older voters, 63%, also expressed concerns about their personal financial circumstances, citing rising costs of food and utilities as reasons for financial strain.

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Memorial Day is less than two weeks away and for two Arizona veterans it’s a time to honor those who lost their lives defending the United States and to stand up for democratic ideals like freedom and fairness.

Former Lt. Col. John Webster served in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years and believes that systemic barriers in Arizona’s electoral system disenfranchise independent voters like him from participating in elections, which in turn keeps independent candidates from getting on the ballot .

“Sometimes you have to change the system to get those people in,” he explained. “It’s this system that gives you the politicians or the leaders who disagree with each other and struggle with each other. You won’t see real change or consensus building until you go one level down and make an institutional change. ”

That’s why Webster is supporting a bipartisan initiative pushing for open primaries in the Grand Canyon State. Currently, independent voters, the largest voting bloc in Arizona, must choose either a Republican or a Democratic ballot to participate in the state’s primaries, which take place next month. Independent and unaffiliated candidates must collect up to six times the number of signatures as a partisan candidate to get on the ballot.

While Webster would like to see change, advocates argue that closed primaries are integral to keeping party ideals consistent.

Former Lt. Col. TJ Lindberg served in the U.S. Army from 1995 to 2015, including combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. For many military personnel, learning to consider and listen to different stakeholder perspectives is crucial; he wants to see the same approach when it comes to governing.

“We need people to look at the whole problem and figure out how we can bring all these things together. And I think that’s where your independent voter and your independent, retired or active military officer or non-commissioned officer, I think that’s really the case. ultimately shape your views,” Lindberg suggested.

Lindberg said the open primary movement in Arizona has a real opportunity to give “solution-oriented” mid-spectrum leaders the opportunity to play a bigger role in addressing issues — not just at the state level, but nationally and internationally. .

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More than one in five Americans are women of color — and a new poll shows they don’t feel heard and want policymakers to address issues they care about. The poll comes from a coalition of civil rights groups called Intersections of our Lives.

Lupe Rodriguez, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, says that while motivation among the electorate is lower than in the past, candidates who want to win must pay attention to women of color.

“Women of color voters cannot be underestimated. Elections are often decided by narrow margins. We should not be seen as low propensity voters, we should be seen as high potential voters, and people cannot afford to take us for granted,” she explained.

The poll found that nearly nine in 10 women of color say voting is extremely or very important. Women’s rights and abortion together are top issues for 31% of Black women, 34% of Latinas and 36% of AAPI women.

Roshni Nedungadi, lead researcher and co-founder of polling firm HIT Strategies, says women voters of color are deeply concerned about economic issues affecting their daily lives — and not just about high grocery prices.

“They think about access to affordable health care, including abortion and contraception. They’re thinking about more affordable housing, they’re obviously thinking about the cost of living, job creation and closing the wage gap,” she continued. .

The poll also found that 93% of Black women, 84% of AAPI women and 79% of Latinas agree that racism has gone on too long and that policies to promote racial equality are long overdue take place.

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in a widely watched case involving ballot drop boxes. Supporters of lifting a near-total ban say such a move would help a slew of voters across the state.

In 2022, the state Supreme Court and the then-conservative majority ruled that drop boxes should be limited to the offices of election clerks. But now that there is a liberal majority, the court is reconsidering the issue. Dropboxes have become popular among voters in a post-pandemic world.

Jenelle Ludwig Krause, leader of the group GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin, said many people benefit from having several places to safely return their ballots.

“Busy farmers who have to be in their fields when conditions are dry; it makes it possible for parents who are juggling a million things to cast their vote; for people with disabilities, for the elderly,” she explained.

She added that drop boxes don’t just benefit certain geographic locations, noting that they help voters in both urban and rural areas. Wider debates about this option tend to focus on whether the boxes invite fraud and whether they can be tampered with. But the Bipartisan Policy Center says they are set up by government officials and are often monitored 24 hours a day.

Krause also pointed out that with drop boxes helping voters across Wisconsin, more people from all backgrounds could have their say on important issues come election time. She said it’s difficult to make change when someone is burdened by restrictive voting policies.

“There are special interest groups in Wisconsin that have worked very, very hard to make it difficult for regular people in Wisconsin to vote. You know, they want to protect the status quo,” she said.

Conservative justices, along with those representing the Republican-led Legislature, were critical of arguments to overturn the 2022 opinion. However, the liberal justices seemed receptive to the belief that the original ruling was flawed. Election analysts say the outcome could have a significant impact on the 2024 presidential race, with Wisconsin again forecast as a battleground state.

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