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(NewsNation)—Seniors person agelong been 1 of the astir accordant voting blocs successful the U.S., with Americans implicit 65 turning retired to the polls successful greater numbers than immoderate different demographic. This demographic volition beryllium captious arsenic concerns implicit some candidates' ages person surfaced.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, determination are present astir 56 cardinal Americans implicit the property of 65, a 60% summation from the twelvemonth 2000.
Thanks to rising beingness expectancy, the existent beingness expectancy is implicit 79 years old, an summation of 2 1/2 years since 2000.
When it comes to politics, older voters thin to skew Republican, with 52% of those implicit 65 voting for erstwhile President Donald Trump successful 2020, portion 47% formed their ballot for President Joe Biden successful the past election.
At the Culver City Senior Center successful Culver City, California, seniors told NewsNation's Nancy Loo that property is conscionable a number. As the colonisation of radical implicit 65 has grown bigger than ever, the cognition of what's considered "old age" has besides changed.
The seniors singing and dancing astatine karaoke nighttime oregon attending a seat workout people astatine the halfway volition beryllium portion of a "gray wave" that could determine the election. But they are divided connected whether the 2 presumed nominees are too aged to beryllium successful the contention for president.
"My body's 84, but my caput is 34," said elector Ed Marshall, who said Biden's property doesn't fuss him. "I'm older than helium is, but it doesn't fuss me."
When asked if helium felt helium could tally a country, Marshall said helium was conscionable gladsome helium was walking.
"I don't retrieve everything either, automatically," said 93-year-old Lillian Rosenbloom. "If I person to marque a implicit sentence, bash I implicit the sentence? Sometimes. It happens."
Sixty-eight-year-old Lee Karol had a antithetic view.
"Age, I've ever thought, it's caput implicit matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter," helium told NewsNation.
"I deliberation some of them should bow out," said 84-year-old Jerry Gottschalk. "There's got to beryllium an property limit. And they've gone past it, some of them."
Turnout among elderly voters is consistently higher than younger property groups, and the "gray wave" is swelling adjacent more, including among voters implicit the property of 100. By 2054, the U.S. Census Bureau projects the fig of centenarians to quadruple to astir 422,000.
New polling from Emerson College shows older voters are the likeliest to formed ballots, with the highest percent of radical highly motivated to ballot betwixt property 60 and 69 astatine 91%. Among those 70 and older, 83% accidental they are highly motivated to vote.
One crushed radical are surviving longer is improved manner and wellness care, which has besides pushed the perception of what is considered "old." Another survey recovered that radical successful their 60s felt that 70 was old, but by the clip they got to their 70s, they thought it was the 80s.
Another pistillate astatine the center, who was successful her 80s, suggested that aged property is for those implicit 100.
