LNN Spotlight: Rhode Island’s Senior Voter Power

Belén Dumont

LNN Spotlight focuses on major issues important to local Hispanic/Latino and underrepresented communities — stay updated on the monthly series by following us on Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts, and Radio Public.

On this episode of LNN Spotlight, Reporter/Editor Belén Dumont speaks with AARP Rhode Island State Director Catherine Taylor and State President Elizabeth Howlett about the voter power of residents aged 50 and over, increasing voter access, and available resources.

In Rhode Island, Hispanics are the second largest ground of voting-age residents. Almost 95% of registered Hispanic voters cast a ballot in the 2022 presidential election, according to the UnidosUS Hispanic Electorate Data Hub.

“Around elections, it’s really important for us to connect with the Latino community and ensure that everybody in the Latino community…knows where, how, when to vote,” shared Taylor. “Our mission is to empower people to choose how we live as we age and that empowerment starts with the vote.”

Election Reminders

Register To Vote By Mail: October 15

Early Voting Period: October 16 – November 4 

Election Day: November 5

“The power is very real because voters 50 plus really do decide elections. We have been learning that time and time again,” shared Taylor. 

In 2023, about 72% of voters in Rhode Island’s 1st Congressional District special election were over the age of 50, according to data analyzed by AARP Rhode Island. 

Howlett urges residents to check upcoming deadlines and verify their polling location at the Secretary of State’s website. She also emphasized that every community in Rhode Island offers early voting, which runs for two weeks before Election Day. 

Since 2022—when the “Let RI Vote” Act passed—a number of policies to increase voting accessibility have been implemented across the state. There have been several changes to make voting by mail easier, including that residents can now register for a mail ballot online and ballot signatures are now verified through a new process that does not require witness signatures or to be notarized. 

“[The Act] had a number of changes to how we vote that really opened things up for us and eliminated a lot of the barriers,” explained Taylor. 

This year, there are two additional changes: residents who are aged 17 can register to vote in the primary elections if they turn 18 years old by election day and registered voters can now stay unaffiliated and vote in whichever primary election they choose. 

“That’s a really exciting way to get some of our younger voters engaged in the civic process—we know they are not voting in the numbers that they should,” said Taylor. “So, that’s just another administrative hurdle that people don’t like and kept people from voting in the primaries who might have otherwise liked to do it.”

RESOURCES MENTIONED

Publisher’s Note: AARP Rhode Island and Rhode Island Latino News are proud partners in providing greater visibility and voice to local Hispanic-Latino communities.

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