As Delaware enters the final stretch to its Sept. 15 primary, voters are hearing plenty about campaign strategy, messaging and partisan divides.
But when I talk with older residents across the state, the conversation is about day-to-day reality, not politics.
We are worried about whether we will have enough to retire. We are feeling the squeeze of rising costs for housing, utilities, healthcare and everyday necessities. Many of us care for aging parents, spouses or loved ones while balancing work and family responsibilities of our own. And we are anxious about scammers and criminals who won’t hesitate to steal our life savings in the blink of an eye.
Candidates and elected officials should remember one important reality: Voters aged 50 and older are the largest and most influential voting bloc in Delaware.
Here in Delaware, voters age 50-plus accounted for 61.3% of all voters in Delaware's 2024 general election, representing approximately 312,000 voters. Voters age 65 and older made up 34.8% of the electorate, while voters ages 50-64 represented another 26.5%. Together, voters over 50 made up a clear majority of Delaware's electorate and played a decisive role in election outcomes.
As candidates make their case to voters, they would be wise to listen to Delawareans who are 50 and older. We have long played a decisive role in shaping our state's future. We will continue to speak up – not because of politics, but because the issues we care about are the issues that will give people 50 and older more choices and independence as they age.
I encourage candidates to listen to us, and urge voters to make sure they know when, where and how to vote in Delaware’s upcoming primaries; go to aarp.org/vote.
John N. Short
Legislative chair
AARP South Coastal Chapter
Ocean View
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