New numbers show women could be the deciding factor in the upcoming elections. But not the women we usually hear so much about. Not soccer moms, young single college grads obsessed with abortion, or even the suburban women both parties have been battling over recently. The women who may ultimately tip the election one way or another are older women. Or mature women, as some may prefer to call them. A new AARP survey shows 51 percent of U.S. women age 50 and older were still undecided about their congressional race, less than two months before Election Day.
These undecided women were evenly divided along party lines, with about 40 percent saying they won't decide how to vote until the last few weeks before the election. Bob Stein, Rice University political science professor, says this is in contrast to most traditional polling, which shows the vast majority of voters have already made up their minds. "It's important to note that women represent more than a majority of the overall vote---they're typically 52 to 54 percent," he tells KTRH. "So, if it's true, it's a bit surprising and tells you that this is not your ordinary midterm election."
The poll shows broad agreement among these mature women on the importance of several issues, including social security, grocery and gas prices, and health care costs. "Many of these individuals may be on fixed incomes, for whom inflation, gas prices and food prices are a constant struggle in this economy, and they are clearly ripe for Republican support," says Stein.
However, the fact so many remain undecided this late could be a warning that the election won't be the red wave many in the GOP predict. "Although I still think Republicans have the advantage here, I think they will be waiting until the late night (on Election Day) before they know if they've won," says Stein.
Between now and then, he recommends both parties pay attention to this particular voting bloc. "People who are older---particularly women---we know two things about them," says Stein. "They vote, and they vote frequently."
"And they vote the whole ballot, which is particularly important in counties like Harris with long ballots."