94% of Ohio Voters 50+ Are Committed to Voting in November

Our new poll shows 94% of Ohio voters 50+ say they will vote in November. They could tip the scales in the election—find out more about their top issues and view the full survey results.

Key Takeaways

Candidates who want to win over older voters ought to pay attention to the issues that matter most to this group. Eighty percent of voters ages 50 and older report that candidates’ positions on Social Security are very important in deciding whom to vote for in November, followed by Medicare (74%), helping people stay in their homes as they age (70%), and the cost of prescription drugs (67%). And the vast majority (84%) of older Ohioans prefer a member of Congress who wants Medicare to continue negotiating for lower prescription drug prices.

“Ohio voters over age 50 are the biggest voting bloc and could tip the scale for any candidate in this election,” said Jennifer Carlson, AARP Ohio state director. “To secure a win in November, candidates must prioritize the critical concerns of voters over age 50, from protecting Social Security and supporting family caregivers to lowering the cost of health care, especially prescription drugs.”

Other key takeaways from the poll among voters 50 and older include:

• Swing voters (those who are splitting their tickets between the Presidential, Senate and Congressional races) make up 24% of older voters, and prefer Brown for Senate and Trump for President by large margins—40% and 25%, respectively. 
• Over half (55%) say Social Security is or will be a major source of their income.
• 61 percent cite personal economic issues—inflation and rising prices, the economy and jobs, and Social Security—as most important.
• Thirty percent of older voters identify as family caregivers, making up 17% of voters overall. Thirty-nine percent of Black voters over 50, 34% of swing voters over 50 and 32% of women over 50 identify as family caregivers.

Complete survey results are here. For more information on how, when and where to vote in Ohio, visit aarp.org/ohvotes.