Seniors could play a significant role in deciding the course of the United States during the next few years, according to an AARP poll, which shows 80 percent of people age 50 and over are planning to vote in the mid-term congressional elections coming up in November compared to only 54 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 49.
During the November mid-term elections, voters will decide which candidates are going to fill all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and roughly one-third of U.S. Senate seats. In November, voters will also choose governors in 36 of the 50 states, elect numerous state legislators, and decide countless initiatives, referendums and bond issues.
Many political observers are predicting that Republicans will seize control of the House as a result of the mid-term elections, and that Democrats will retain control of the Senate by only a slim margin. The safe money is certainly on Republican gains in the 2010 mid-term elections, because history shows that the party of a first-term president tends to be the big loser during the mid-term elections. Since the Civil War, only three first-term presidents--Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush--have seen their parties come out ahead in the mid-term congressional elections.
Judging by the results of the AARP poll, however, the 2010 mid-term elections may hold a few surprises. Voters of all ages said they consider a candidate's political party relatively unimportant in deciding how to cast their vote. Only 10 percent of people age 50 and over said that party affiliation matters, while only 12 percent of those 18-49 gave it as a reason for how they would vote. Much more important to voters of all ages were a candidate's character and personal qualities, their position on key issues, and their voting record.
And what are the issues that matter to voters and will influence how they vote in the 2010 mid-term elections? For people age 50 and over, the issues that rated highly (in order) were:
- 90 percent -- Jobs
- 89 percent -- Social Security
- 88 percent - Cost of health care and access to doctors
- 87 percent - Government corruption
- 85 percent - Budget deficit
- 80 percent - War in Iraq and Afghanistan and/or terrorism
- 78 percent - Energy costs
The 20 percent of U.S. adults age 50 and over who don't plan to vote in the mid-term elections gave reasons ranging from disgust with politics and distrust of candidates to a belief that their vote doesn't matter and the election is not about their concerns.
Actor and director Woody Allen said, "Eighty percent of success is showing up." The same is true of representative government. If you want your voice to be heard and your vote to count on issues that affect all our lives, you have to show up at the polls.
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