Jim Flaherty on Older Wisconsin Voters in the 2024 Election

Frederica Freyberg:
A lot of attention is paid to the youth vote, especially will they or won’t they cast a ballot? But the senior vote is much more assured. And in Wisconsin, people over the age of 50 are the largest voting bloc. That’s according to AARP Wisconsin out with a recent election poll heading into November 5. Jim Flaherty of AARP Wisconsin joins us now. Thanks for being here.

Jim Flaherty:
Oh, thanks for having me.

Frederica Freyberg:
So when we say that the senior vote in Wisconsin is more assured, what does your poll say about their enthusiasm to vote?

Jim Flaherty:
Well, our poll, which came out after the last presidential debate, so fresh in people’s minds, shows that those aged 50 and over are the most motivated demographic of any voters in Wisconsin. More than nine out of ten voters over age 50 were polled said that they are extremely motivated to vote in this election, which should be a wakeup call for candidates to say, “Hey, you got to start listening to what these 50 plus voters are saying.”

Frederica Freyberg:
So as with other polls, the candidates in the presidential and U.S. Senate race here are neck and neck. Apart from the horse race of it though, what issues are especially salient for people over 50?

Jim Flaherty:
Well, 77% of voters aged 50 and older are saying that candidates’ position on Social Security are very, very important to them. That’s followed by obviously Medicare, same, just about as high at 69%.
Helping people to remain living in their homes as long as possible. We call those family caregivers 63%. Cost of prescription drugs and their medications is still very much top of mind. Four out of five, so 79% of Wisconsin voters prefer a member of Congress who wants Medicare to continue to negotiate for lower drug prices. So, you know, these are pocketbook issues. You know, can I afford to pay for my monthly medications while also paying rent and food? A lot of people have to cut their pills in half just to be able to get by. There’s a lot of people struggling across Wisconsin, and it really is time for candidates to pay attention to that. If I may, for just a second, family caregivers, there’s about 600,000 of them in Wisconsin. These are folks who are raising their own families. They have their own jobs, and they’re helping out loved ones so that they can remain living in their own homes and communities as long as possible. We call these the unsung heroes of Wisconsin. They do things like helping loved ones with meal preparation and medication management, bill paying, transportation, bathing, sometimes driving, driving them to church and to the grocery store. Without these family caregivers, which we refer to as the backbone of Wisconsin’s long term care system, it would — the whole system would fall apart. Obviously, there will always be a need for assisted living and for nursing homes, but family caregivers are the heroes of Wisconsin. And as the state gets older, AARP believes that the state should do more to support this group.

Frederica Freyberg:
What kind of supports for allowing people to live independently at home would get older people’s vote?

Jim Flaherty:
That’s a great question, and at the state level, we, AARP, is advancing an idea called a caregiver tax credit. The governor has had it in his last two budgets, but it’s been removed later in the process by the Joint Finance Committee. This would be a $500 income tax credit that would go to family caregivers, and it could help offset some of the costs that they incur while providing this care. Family caregivers spend about $7,000 a year out of their own pocket to help their loved ones remain in their homes. This tax credit can help them with costs such as, you know, putting in a handicap ramp or a shower bar, or any costs that they incur while providing care for a loved one. They could write this off up to $500. And we think that this is something the state legislature really needs to look at.

Frederica Freyberg:
So meanwhile, heading into Election Day, how are seniors faring in Wisconsin right now?

Jim Flaherty:
Well, like I say, some, you know, many, many are struggling. We, AARP Wisconsin, we’re the state office of a huge national office and we go all over the state. So we go to — we host events at fairs. We are at the Iola Car Show. We’ve been in La Crosse, Madison, Kenosha. And folks are telling us, you know, they’re struggling. They really want candidates to listen to their concerns and a lot of — most of them are pocketbook issues. They are concerned about the economy, utility rates rising without them having a say in it. They want to be able to have somebody who has their back. And that’s what these candidates can provide is saying, you know, we understand the struggles that you are going through as an older Wisconsinite and we’ve got your back and you know, you don’t have to talk to AARP. You can talk to anyone on the street to know that Wisconsin is getting older. More and more baby boomers are retiring every single day and we’re going to have an older state and we’ve got to do things to support them. Some things like making sure we have high speed internet in every community across the state. That is no longer a luxury. It is a requirement. Folks who aren’t close to hospital systems or clinics, they rely on telehealth. So that’s how they can communicate with their doctors. It mitigates social isolation so that these folks can talk to loved ones. Broadband expansion is huge for Wisconsin seniors, and it’s something that needs to be addressed.

Frederica Freyberg:
All right. We leave it there. Jim Flaherty, AARP Wisconsin. Thank you.

Jim Flaherty:
Thank you.