• Carrolade@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Moreover, older Americans punch above their weight because they’re more likely to be registered to vote and to cast a ballot. Recent polling from The New York Times/Siena College put seniors at about 29% of the electorate, compared with only about 13% for voters under 30.

    I knew there was a disparity, but over double is a bit more than I expected.

    • Stern@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Old folks are retired, thus more free time, and I’m guessing there’s a bit of civic duty imprinted on them as well.

      • sensiblepuffin@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        I don’t know about civic duty. In my opinion seniors are more uneasy about any policy that might change their lives in any way, and they tend to vote to maintain the status quo.

          • sensiblepuffin@lemmy.world
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            1 month ago

            To be fair, they are older. They don’t have much time left on this earth and they don’t have the ability to adapt to change as well as younger people. Most of them are not exactly financially stable, and they’re worried that their routine could be disrupted by forces beyond their control. That being said, fear has always been a great motivator, especially for conservative/reactionary types.

    • grte@lemmy.ca
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      1 month ago

      The last place I lived, for around a decade, my polling station was literally in a senior’s centre every time I had an election to vote in.