TAMPA, Fla. — Election day is just over a month away and as much of the focus has turned to the upcoming Supreme Court nomination, some candidates might be forgetting to address other important issues.
Especially the issues older voters care about.
While who becomes our next president is at the top of the ballot, a recent poll by AARP shows issues at the top of the list for older voters are the ones that affect health and financial security.
AARP says in the last presidential election, 60 percent of voters in Florida were people ages 50 and older.
"There may be an assumption, even in a place like Florida, that older voters can be taking for granted. I think that that's frankly a poor strategic decision for candidates. The reality is that we've seen the older voters in Florida really divided and very much up in the air," said Jeff Johnson, the state director for AARP Florida.
He says despite partisan division, candidates need to let voters know where they stand on some key issues.
"Again, social security, medicare, the high cost of prescription drugs, continue to be ones that the voters care about."
Johnson also says older voters need to be clear on the ways to vote and choose the best option for them. Whether it's by mail, early voting or on election day. His main message here is to be prepared.
"Think of this election in the same way that we think of hurricane season. We don't wait until the last second to start to put together our plan of where we are going to go or what we're going to bring with us and the same is true here."
So, to make sure your vote counts, Johnson says take action as soon as possible. Don't wait for deadlines. If you've moved recently or you aren't sure of the location of your polling place, or you're concerned about voting by mail, go straight to the source for your information: Your county's Supervisor of Elections website. There you will find exactly what you need to know from a reliable source.
You can also find a voter toolkit on our 10 Tampa Bay website.
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