Voters 50 and Over Dominate Pre-Election Day Ballot Casting

"While the early and absentee vote totals don't give us a full picture of what turnout will look like when all is said and done, it confirms what we've been saying all along: voters 50-plus, particularly women 50-plus, are among the nation's most reliable voters,” says Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer. “They have been paying close attention. They are motivated. And, their votes could very well decide the outcome."

Early turnout in battleground states

Here's a look at turnout rates among Americans 50-plus leading up to Election Day in key states.

• Florida: Going into the final weekend, 7.3 million votes had been cast early in-person, mailed or dropped off. That compares with 4.9 million that had been cast ahead of Election Day by that time in 2016. Of the votes already cast, 66 percent were from voters age 50 and older, with 28 percent from those age 50 to 64 and 38 percent from voters 65-plus.
• North Carolina: Of the 3.9 million early and mailed-in or dropped-off votes cast leading into the final weekend, 59 percent were from the 50-plus population. North Carolina women 50-plus represented 33 percent of the early vote while 26 percent were from men 50-plus. The pre-Election Day vote represented nearly a third of all registered voters in the state.
• Pennsylvania: Data for this state represents more than 2 million ballots that were either mailed to election officials or dropped off. The Keystone State does not hold early voting. Among those votes, 66 percent were from voters age 50 and above, with 26 percent from voters aged 50 to 64 and 40 percent from Americans 65-plus. Women 50-plus represented 38 percent of all pre-Election Day votes cast.
• Arizona: Of the 2.2 million absentee and mailed ballots recorded in Arizona as of last weekend, 63 percent were from the 50-plus population, including 27 percent from 50 to 64-year-olds and 37 percent from voters 65-plus. Early turnout among women 50-plus made up 34 percent of all absentee and mailed ballots, versus 29 percent for men 50-plus. The data does not include early voting turnout results.
• Michigan: Among Michiganders, 71 percent of the 2.5 million mailed-in ballots were cast by the 50-plus population and 44 percent of those voters were 65 and older. Women 50-plus comprised 40 percent of the vote so far compared with 31 percent of men 50-plus. In 2016, close to 92 percent of all the absentee ballots cast in Michigan were from the 50-plus population. The data from this state also does not include early voting turnout results.
• Wisconsin: The 1.6 million absentee votes received by election officials the weekend before Election Day were more than double the number of such ballots cast by this time in 2016. Of the 1.6 million, 62 percent came from voters 50-plus; 34 percent of early ballots were cast by women 50-plus and 28 percent by men 50-plus. The data from this state also does not include early voting turnout results.
• Iowa: Just over 800,000 Iowans had returned absentee ballots as of the weekend before Election Day, with 68 percent of those being cast by voters 50-plus. In Iowa, women 50-plus represented 38 percent of the early votes. The data from this state also does not include early voting turnout results.