Although votes are still being counted in this year’s election, early data shows older voters are continuing that trend. In the nine states that report early voting turnout by age, those ages 41 to 65 and those over 65 voted early at higher rates than younger age groups, according to the University of Florida Election Lab, which studies voting demographics.

This follows AARP pre-election polling that showed older voters in battleground states were more motivated to vote than voters of all ages.

But older voters are not a monolith. In fact, according to the 2024 exit poll, voters ages 50 to 64 tended to lean more to the right than voters ages 65 and older. Ward says this is a function of time. People 65 and older are closer to the Woodstock generation, who came of age fighting for civil rights, women’s rights and against the Vietnam War. These values, he says, still shape his political views.

Gender also played a role in the election results. Trump won older men by 14 percentage points, while Harris won older women by 4 percentage points, according to AP VoteCast. These figures reveal a “significant gender gap,” says Nancy LeaMond, AARP vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer.

Older voters have had a significant impact in the battleground states where national elections will be held.

For example, in Pennsylvania, Trump received 54 percent of the vote among 50 to 64-year-olds, while Harris received 45 percent. She also received 52 percent of the vote among voters 65 and older, compared to Harris’ 47 percent.

“Pennsylvania is an older state,” says Christopher Borick, a political science professor and director of the Public Opinion Institute at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. “Trump carried the elderly. “This is incredibly effective in a state like Pennsylvania.”

Even though voters under 50 prefer Harris, “that’s hard to overcome in this state,” Borick says.