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Mail-in Ballots, Voter ID, Accessibility: How Older Adults Vote Across America
Seven charts and maps that pinpoint voting trends across the country and among voters 50+
9-minute read
Tomi Um
Key takeaways
- Older Americans consistently vote at higher rates than younger adults do, with an especially wide turnout gap during midterm elections.
- Most states allow no-excuse mail voting, and voters 65 and older use mail-in ballots at higher rates than other age groups.
- Accessibility barriers, identification requirements and changing congressional maps can complicate voting for older adults.
Voting is a civic duty that many older Americans take to heart. For years, older voters have been a growing and highly engaged force with an outsize influence over the outcome of elections for everything from the presidency to county council.
But older Americans have had to navigate a shifting voting landscape in recent years. Changes in postmark procedures by the U.S. Postal Service and legal wrangling over mail-in ballots were in the news this year, as were discussions of voter identification and changing congressional district lines. With these issues firmly in the spotlight, AARP looked at recent election data, surveys and studies to understand the role older adults play in U.S. politics and how potential changes to mail-in voting, voter identification and voting districts could affect how older Americans vote.
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Older voters dominate at the polls
In every national election since 2002 — when the U.S. Census Bureau began reporting citizen voter turnout by age — older Americans have cast ballots at higher rates than their younger counterparts. In 2024, for example, 75 percent of Americans 65 and older and 70 percent of those 45 to 64 voted at rates roughly 25 points higher than Americans 18 to 24 did. (Data is a percentage of voting-age citizens, not registered voters or resident population.)
For midterm elections like this year’s, the gap between older and younger generations is even starker. In 2022, roughly 63 percent of Americans 45 and older turned out compared with 28 percent of voters 18 to 24.
The pattern looks likely to repeat in November’s election. According to an August Harvard CAPS-Harris survey, about 79 percent of those 55-plus say they are definitely or probably going to vote, compared with just 59 percent of those under 35.
Mail-in voting laws by state
Mail-in voting, also sometimes called absentee voting, has been part of American elections for a long time. Its first widespread rollout was during the Civil War, when it was made available to the many soldiers who were away from home fighting.
Eight states and the District of Columbia automatically mail ballots to all voters, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), a member organization that publishes bipartisan policy research, while 29 states let voters request a ballot by mail without providing a reason. Of the 15 states and territories that don’t, eight offer older age as an acceptable reason to receive a mail ballot.
The growth of mail-in voting in America
With states making mail-in ballots more accessible, the uptake of this voting method has almost tripled since 2000, according to an analysis of U.S. Census data by the MIT Election Data & Science Lab. Mail-in voting became the most popular way to vote in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, with almost all states and territories allowing voters to cast absentee ballots without a reason, through either permanent or temporary changes to their laws. While its use has declined slightly since, it remains popular, with almost a third of voters in the 2024 presidential election using it.
Older voters use mail-in ballots most
Mail-in voting is particularly popular among voters age 65 and older, who have adopted it at higher rates than younger voters in recent elections. It’s a vital option for people with disabilities, illnesses or full-time caregiving responsibilities, who may have trouble getting to their polling place or standing in line for long periods, as well as those who have to work on Election Day or are traveling out of the area.
Polling places have problems with accessibility
Steps to the entrance. Uneven surfaces. Long lines. When voters are required to come in person, it can impose time and travel costs. They may also have trouble physically getting to the polling booths, operating the voting machines or reading their ballots clearly.
A 2023 study by the Program for Disability Research at Rutgers University, commissioned by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, found that more than half of respondents with vision impairments reported difficulty voting at polling places. Thirty percent of respondents who need help with daily activities and more than a quarter of those with cognitive impairments also reported challenges related to voting in person.
Most states require some form of identification
A patchwork of rules about voter ID means the ease of voting can vary dramatically by state. Thirty-six states ask for some form of official identification when voting in person. Of those, most require or prefer a photo ID of the voter, such as a driver’s license or passport, while the others allow an official ID without a photo.
That means you may need to allow time to hunt down the right card or document. The Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (CDCE) at the University of Maryland found that 13 percent of voting-age citizens between the ages of 50 and 64 and 11 percent of those 65 and older lack a driver’s license with their correct name or address.
VoteRiders, a nonpartisan organization focused on voter ID, found that 14 percent of voters in their 80s either have no license at all or have one that is expired. But many states accept other forms of government-issued identification, including a passport, a hunting license or state-issued IDs with a current name and address. Those who arrive at the polls without proper ID in states where it is required will likely be able to cast a provisional ballot, meaning the ballot will count if the voter submits to a more extensive review later.
Redistricting can sow confusion
Redistricting — the process of redrawing the boundaries around electoral districts to ensure each one contains roughly the same number of voters — typically happens once every decade following a census count. But since the summer of 2025, there has been an unusual flurry of activity, with 10 states changing their congressional maps and several others starting the process or considering it, according to the NCSL. (Although Missouri was one of these 10, the state is currently set to enter the November midterms using the previous congressional maps, following court decisions.) If your state is one of them, that means your polling location or election dates could change, or you may have to choose between different U.S. House candidates than the ones you expected. It's important to confirm your polling place in advance by checking your official state or local election website, and worth previewing your candidates as well.
Join Our Fight to Make Sure Your Vote Counts
AARP is a nonpartisan organization that never supports or opposes candidates for office. We believe the right to vote is fundamental, and we advocate for policies ensuring that Americans 50 and older can exercise that right without unnecessary barriers. Here’s what you can do to help:
- Learn more about voting in your state this year.
- Pledge to vote for candidates in 2026 who will protect and strengthen Social Security and support family caregivers.
- Sign up to become an AARP activist for the latest news and alerts on issues you care about.
- AARP is your fierce defender on the issues that matter to people 50-plus. Become a member or renew your membership today.
Chris Adams, director of state news for the AARP Bulletin, and Ledge King, a writer for AARP, contributed to this story.
The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.
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