Will Baby Boomers Decide the Election Next Tuesday?

Or will younger voters, who are supposed to be turning out in great numbers, be the deciding generation?

A recent TVLand poll predicts that 94% of Baby Boomers will be voting a week from today, with 82% of those polled stating that they are “extremely likely” to vote.  Since Baby Boomers are the largest generation, we could have a definite effect on the outcome of the election.  As you might have guessed, top issues for Baby Boomers are: the economy (81%), health care (65%), gas price (62%), Social Security and Medicare (58%) and taxes (57%).  But 76% of those polled said the current economic crisis has not made them change their minds about their candidate of choice.

Boomer voting predictions are probably fairly accurate, since Boomers have been voting a long time and in large numbers.  But 18-29 year olds could also have an impact on the election results, if they vote as predicted.  Although younger voters typically have not voted in large numbers, this year could be different.  In the last election, voting increased among these younger voters, to 48%.  That’s still a significantly lower percentage of voters than Baby Boomers.  But if the predicted increases in voting among young people materialize, they could “rock the polls” during this election.

I know it’s difficult to know why people are voting or what informs their decisions, but as long as people are making informed decisions, I would welcome more younger voters at the polls.  As we baby boomers age, we’ll be depending on them to  carry on the tradition of voting, to keep our democratic processes moving on.  What do you think?

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