NCOA Urges Older Adults to Vote Safely in 2020 Elections

ARLINGTON, Va., Oct. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Council on Aging (NCOA), a trusted national leader working to ensure that every person can age well, is urging all older Americans to make a plan to vote safely in this year's historic election, and it is sharing unbiased tips and resources to do so.

"Most older Americans have been lifelong voters, and they are an important voting bloc in many elections," said NCOA President and CEO Ramsey Alwin. "The 2020 election poses a unique challenge because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We want to ensure that all eligible older adults can vote safely and continue to participate in the vitally important democratic tradition. We believe aging well includes making your voice heard at the ballot box."

NCOA has partnered with We Can Vote to share important information about how older adults can vote safely by mail or in person following COVID-19 safety precautions. Information is also available in Spanish.

"Older Americans and their caregivers are some of the most vulnerable for COVID-19 and deserve to know about their options for safe and healthy voting this year," said Jessica Barba Brown, senior advisor. "Our Healthy Voting guides are informed by leading public health and elections experts to help older Americans in every state and territory understand how they can cast their ballot safely and successfully this year."

NCOA also is continuing its decades of support for nonprofit aging services organizations with best practices on how they can effectively educate and support older voters in their communities. NCOA's Election 2020 Toolkit includes unbiased voter and nonprofit resources, as well as suggested questions to ask the candidates and links to both presidential candidates' relevant campaign positions.

Nonprofit VOTE has been a key NCOA partner in sharing ways nonprofits can educate older voters this year.

"With COVID-19, a lot has changed, including how people will participate in the 2020 election. Older voters are no exception. They need trusted information on how to vote this fall—and local nonprofits have an important role to play," said Debi Lombardi, Director of Partner Engagement.

About NCOA

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is a trusted national leader working to ensure that every person can age well. Since 1950, our mission has not changed: Improve the lives of millions of older adults, especially those who are struggling. NCOA empowers people with the best solutions to improve their own health and economic security—and we strengthen government programs that we all depend on as we age. Every year, millions of people use our signature programs BenefitsCheckUp®, My Medicare Matters®, and the Aging Mastery Program® to age well. By offering online tools and collaborating with a nationwide network of partners, NCOA is working to improve the lives of 40 million older adults by 2030. Learn more at ncoa.org and @NCOAging.

SOURCE National Council on Aging