We Asked Older Voters What They Were Thinking as They Cast Ballots. Here's What They Told Us

Michigan

Arthur Stephenson, 60

Southfield

Voting is a civic duty. You need more people voting. One-sided ideas are never good, so you really need opposing views to have a good discussion to come up with a decent answer. So I really believe that the elections now are a little too politicized, and I think we need more civility and stability and a little bit more stable of a government.

Jerry Spears Jr., 73

Detroit

I’m a regular voter, and I voted on [October] 19th. I was the 100th person to vote at my place. It’s very important, especially early voting, because you never know what’s going to happen on voting day. You could have an accident or things just don’t work out. With early voting, I can get it done when I have time to get it done. 

I retired eight years ago, when I was 65. Social Security is big part of my income and I have worried about it quite a bit, especially when people are talking about how they want to cut it back and that it’s going to expire. I’ve tried to vote for somebody I think is going to do something about it. 

Nevada

Ray Cordova, 75

Las Vegas 

I never voted early in my entire life, but I made it a point to vote early this year. I go out every night on Fremont Street and I dress up as Elvis and try to get people to vote. I’m very adamant about it.

The economy is a big issue. It’s the main issue for me. I’m a businessman and our business is 30 percent down from last year and it’s getting worse. People have money today, but they’re not spending the money because they’re fearful. They’re afraid of what might happen the next four years. They’re holding back. 

My wife and I can’t do things that we normally do, we can’t go out to eat like we normally do. I went to Taco Bell the other day, bought dinner for myself and my wife and it was almost $30. Go to the grocery store and just one bag of groceries is $100 almost. People are scared. It’s a very uncertain time. I’m also a pastor and I tell people to eat dessert first because life is uncertain. You don’t know what’s going to happen. 

North Carolina

Ed Escalante, 74 

Swannanoa

I’m an unaffiliated voter. I voted for people that I thought were more human than political, who I felt were driven by their conscience rather than an issue or a policy. 

I took care of my mother when she passed and I realize the responsibility there. I’m glad I did it but it is stressful work. A lot of politicians, unless you’ve done that, don’t understand what that is like. They might understand it’s an issue, but they don’t understand the intensity because they’ve never done it. 

I also care about the planet. Nobody, not any nation, is paying attention to the fact that we’re driving this planet off a cliff. I have children and grandchildren who will inherit this mess we’re in. Good luck with that. 

Pennsylvania

Norma F. Kramer,  83

Philadelphia

The right to vote is precious. I’ve never missed an election unless I was out of the country. I’d crawl to the thing if necessary. I can’t get over the brilliance of our constitution. Everything about it has me in awe. 

I read everything, I listen to everything. I listen to the opposition side. There’s no such thing as absolutely right or absolutely wrong in my estimation. As a general rule, every side has legitimate concerns. In this election, everything is up for grabs. I think we’re on a precipice. 

I am concerned on a personal level about Medicare and Social Security. Medicare comes first — I’m old and I’m falling apart. The fact is, that’s part of the journey. I’m lower middle class. But without Medicare, I’m not in a position to afford my own medical treatments. One of my treatments has a $500 copay. But I’m concerned about other people first. I’m old and I’m going to die sometime, but the rest of the country, I’m terribly worried about them. 

Keith Crippen, 56

Philadelphia

I’m voting because it’s very important, because our lives are at stake right now. The main thing is we’ve got to take care of our kids. We’ve really got to take care of our kids and our families. It’s sink or swim right now. I’m a caregiver and I think there should be more support for that. There are a lot of older people in the family who need support. A lot of people are busy, but you want to be able to be a caregiver to somebody who is older in the family.

Wisconsin

Chris Hitler, 51

Milwaukee

I vote in every federal election. I’m not a reliable local office voter. But it’s a big election and I’m a big believer that you’ve got to participate as a good citizen, so that’s why I’m voting. The concept of the rule of law and following the Constitution is very important to me. As a president, that’s your most important duty. 

For me, I see Social Security as 20 years away, give or take. So I’m not worried about it, but I certainly hope when I come to that point, that all the money I’ve contributed to it is returned to me. That’s the hope, right? I’ve been paying into it since I was 16. So I’d be very disappointed if there’s not money there when it’s my turn. But my perception is that there is a bigger looming problem for our country than Social Security, as health care costs explode and people on Medicare get services that are more than what they contributed into the system, That’s not necessarily their fault, per se, but just the fact that health care costs are getting so much more expensive. It is a concern to me that the system is going to, you know, implode.

Mark Adamek, 66

Thiensville

It’s important for us all to exercise our voting rights. It’s important to express your opinion when you’re given the opportunity to do that, and I think it makes a difference

I think this election is going to decide a lot about the direction of our country. And I think there are two very defined directions that you can choose from as far as how our country is going to go.