Play Debate Watch Bingo!

Figuring out where the candidates stand on issues that are important to you and your family can sometimes be difficult, especially during a pandemic when people are staying home, and candidates are campaigning online. With social media and websites swirling with information that might not be reliable, it’s important to get the facts.

At AARP Virginia, we’ve come up with a fun way to keep track of where the candidates stand on issues important to voters 50 and older: Debate Watch Bingo! Play at home with your family or compete with friends and family elsewhere:

1. Download and print the Bingo cards:
   Bingo Card 1 as PDF Bingo Card 1 as PNG
   Bingo Card 2 as PDF Bingo Card 2 as PNG
   Bingo Card 3 as PDF Bingo Card 3 as PNG
   Bingo Card 4 as PDF Bingo Card 4 as PNG
   Bingo Card 5 as PDF Bingo Card 5 as PNG
2. There are 5 different cards, so make sure everyone isn’t using the same one, or no one will win (or everyone will win). If the entire card if filled, it means the candidates are talking about the top issues important to older Americans, and everyone REALLY wins!
   
3. Watch the debates (You can find out more about the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Debates at The Commission on Presidential Debates:
   
   • Sept. 29: Presidential Debate, 9-10:30 p.m., all major networks and C-SPAN
   • Oct. 7: Vice Presidential Debate, 9-10:30 p.m., all major networks and C-SPAN
   • Oct. 13: The People’s Debate, 7-8 p.m., Sen. Mark Warner vs. Dr. Daniel Gade, sponsored by AARP Virginia and WTVR CBS 6. More information and how to watch is on our website here.
   • Oct. 15: Presidential Debate, 9-10:30 p.m., all major networks and C-SPAN
   • Oct. 22: Presidential Debate, 9-10:30 p.m., all major networks and C-SPAN
     
4. Pay attention to what the candidates say about the issues important to voters 50+
   
   • Guaranteeing Medicare coverage
   • Protecting Social Security
   • COVID testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) for nursing homes
   • Employment for older adults
   • Economic recovery
   • Lowering prescription drug prices
   • Prescription drug price transparency
   • Support for caregivers
     
5. Check off the appropriate spot on your Bingo card when a candidate mentions the corresponding issue.
   
6. Post a selfie of yourself with your completed Bingo card to our Facebook page after the debate, and Tweet your selfie and tag @AARPVA on Twitter!

If you have an opportunity to ask your candidates for President/Vice President, U.S. Senate or U.S. House of Representatives questions, here are some questions that people age 50+ want answered:

• Social Security is a self-financed, off budget program that half of all seniors rely on more for than 50% of their income.  If elected, how will you ensure that current and future Social Security benefits are not cut as part of deficit reduction?

• On average, seniors already spend one out of six dollars on health care. If elected, how will you protect Medicare from benefit cuts, lower health care costs, and ensure seniors continue receiving the affordable health care they have earned?
• Unemployment during the coronavirus crisis reached the highest levels since the Great Depression, and older Americans have been disproportionately affected. If elected, how will you help Americans over the age of 50 recover economically from the effects of the coronavirus?
• Americans pay the highest prescription drug prices in the world. If elected, how will you cut prescription drug prices for all Americans
• COVID-19 has caused death and suffering for too many older Americans who require long-term care. If elected, how will you make sure seniors can access safe and affordable long-term care at home, as well as in facilities like nursing homes and assisted living?

To find out more about how to vote safely from home or in-person in the upcoming election, visit our web page: aarp.org/vavotes.