Voters 50 Plus Decide Elections

This election year is already marked by a lot of noise and very little agreement. However, there is one thing we know for sure: voters 50-plus decide elections. In fact, they are the majority of voters in every election, and candidates who don’t recognize the power of these voters are unlikely to win.

Here’s how we know this to be true: for all 50 states and all 435 congressional districts, AARP analyzed data for the 2020 elections to show exactly who was deciding elections. More specifically, in Georgia, 51 percent of the electorate in 2020 was age 50-plus. In 2020, 55 percent of Georgia’s voters 50-plus were women, 27 percent were African American, and 33 percent were from rural areas of the state.

So, what are the priorities of voters over 50? They want candidates to address the issues that matter most to them and their families, including challenges like caring for their loved ones and protecting their hard-earned contributions to Social Security.

According to AARP research, more than 48 million Americans are family caregivers – that’s one in five voters. AARP is mobilizing this significant slice of the electorate to fight for commonsense solutions that will save caregivers time and money and get them more support.

Family caregivers are the backbone of a broken long-term care system, helping with everything from buying groceries and managing medications to bathing and dressing. They often put their own finances and jobs at risk to care for loved ones. America’s family caregivers provide more than $600 billion in unpaid care each year, saving taxpayers billions by keeping loved ones at home instead of in Medicaid-funded nursing homes. Georgia’s 1,260,000 unpaid family caregivers contribute more than 1.18 million hours of unpaid care each year, valued at approximately $16.3 billion.

A recent AARP survey shows that most voters – 70 percent – say they are more likely to support a candidate who backs proposals that support family caregivers, such as tax credits, paid family leave, and respite services. An overwhelming 75 percent of voters over 50 say it is important for Congress to help older Americans live independently in their homes instead of in nursing homes.

Voters aged 50 and over also are focused on the sustainability of our country’s Social Security system. If Congress doesn’t act in the next 10 years to protect and save this program – which is vital to American workers of all ages – it could be cut by 20 percent, an average of $4,000 a year. A cut like that could be devastating to retirees who paid in and earned their Social Security through a lifetime of hard work.

Voters aged 50 and over know they can count on AARP for nonpartisan information about when, where, and how to vote, and the candidates’ positions on their policy priorities. We don’t tell our members or anyone else who to vote for, but we are committed to making sure all voters have the information they need to make their voices heard in the 2024 elections.

Here in Georgia, 2.5 million voters over 50 have long been the deciders in elections. Candidates who want to get elected should pay close attention to these voters and the issues they care about. This isn’t their first time to vote, nor their last.

AARP is standing with Georgia voters by providing reliable election information they need to make their voice heard in November.