According to a new Harris poll sponsored by AARP, 95% of women 50 and older say they’re likely to vote in the 2020 presidential election.
While older women are expected to be a reliable voting bloc, 7 out of 10 say they still don’t know who they’re going to vote for. AARP New Hampshire state director Todd Fahey reflected on the significance of this uncertainty for the Granite State.
“In a state like New Hampshire with a first-in-the-nation primary, with some 40-plus percent of the population declared independents, it’s a pretty important number,” Fahey said.
The women polled also said they prefer an experienced candidate over one with a new approach. According to the survey, the top issue for older women voters is health care, particularly its high cost.
Fahey explained how the high price of health care impacts older women.
“Most of them continue to struggle with the cost of health care,” he said. “Three in 10 have had to skip medical care because it was too expensive; 4 in 10 can’t afford to pay for their health care, and 7 in 10 feel that older people pay too much for health care comparison to others.”
The respondents are also more likely than the male respondents to say the economy is on the wrong track and isn’t working for them. Other high priorities among older women voters include the opioid epidemic, prices rising faster than income, college affordability and the future of Social Security.
The poll was conducted online in November and surveyed close to 2,000 women across the country.
