Women Voters Age 50 and Over Will Decide the Balance of Power in the Next Election

New Research from AARP Demonstrates Power of Overlooked Voters

AARP recently released the latest research in our She’s the Difference series that explores the priorities and concerns of women age 50 and over. AARP partnered with public opinion experts from both sides of the aisle – Celinda Lake, Christine Matthews, Margie Omero, and Kristen Soltis Anderson – to look at the opinions of this key voting bloc that casts 30% of the vote during the last two election cycles. 

Two big takeaways:

• They haven’t made up their minds on how they’ll vote in November. Only 17% of women voters age 50 and over have decided who they’ll vote for, including 22% of Republicans, 14% of Democrats, and 7% of Independents. Nineteen percent say they will decide several months before the election; 36% say several weeks before; 21% say several days before and 8% anticipate deciding on Election Day. 
  
• Women voters age 50 and over have one thing on their minds: kitchen table economics and the day-to-day experience of rising prices. Nearly half (46%) rank rising cost of living as the most important issue facing the country. Close to three quarters (72%) are concerned about their income keeping up with rising costs. And the majority (52%) say the economy is NOT working well for them personally – a big jump from before the pandemic. While this cohort of women is far from monolithic, these concerns are generally consistent across age, income, and race/ethnicity. 

The full survey results can be found here. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be diving deeper into the data and sharing additional analysis.

In the meantime, AARP will continue to inform 50+ voters how they can vote and where the candidates stand on the issues that matter to them. You can learn more about our efforts here. As a reminder, AARP does not endorse candidates or make political contributions. We are proud of our non-partisan status.

Montana ranked fourth in the nation for voter turnout in 2020, according to Kaiser Family Foundation. Measured as individuals who voted as a share of the voter population, Montana tied with Oregon, New Hampshire, Maryland and Wisconsin at 74%. Older voters turned out at higher rates at 80% for voters age 65+ and 77% for voters age 45-64. The overall national average for voter turnout in 2020 was 67%.

Need information about how to vote in Montana's 2022 elections? See our "How to Vote" guide.