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Senior Citizen Politics
Super Tuesday Primaries to be Focus of Aging
Committee Hearing on Thursday
Chairman Kohl says topic will be accessibility for
senior citizens
 Jan. 29, 2008 During the recent Nevada primary,
45 percent of those voting Republican and 36 percent of Democrats were
age 60 or older. Senior citizens have historically been more likely to
vote than younger people but there is some concern that the new Voter ID
law could hinder the voting of many seniors.
The Senate Special Committee on Aging will hold a
hear Thursday to explore the possibility that this new law, which is
currently pending before the Supreme Court, could disproportionately
disenfranchise senior citizens.
Chairman Herb Kohl (D-WI) says this hearing on
older voters will have a specific focus on states participating in the
upcoming Super Tuesday primaries.
The committee will explore issues of voter
accessibility.
Witnesses scheduled to testify include the
following.
● Barbara D. Bovbjerg from the U.S. Government
Accountability Office will discuss issues surrounding senior
transportation and mobility, ballot design, and poll site accessibility
for the disabled.
● Deborah Markowitz, Vermonts Secretary of
State, will discuss the role Vermont has played as a leader in expanding
voting opportunities for individuals with physical and cognitive
impairment. Vermontwhich will hold its primary on March 4has a
vote-by-phone system and is implementing a mobile voting demonstration
project to better facilitate voting within long-term care settings.
● Dr. Jason Karlawish from the University of
Pennsylvania will provide an overview of which Super Tuesday states have
guidelines to facilitate voting in long-term care settings, which do
not, and the resulting implications. He will also describe a model
system for voting in long-term care settings.
● Dr. Wendy Weiser from the Democracy Project
at New York Universitys law school will convey how the Voter ID law
under consideration by the Supreme Court unduly burdens seniors and why
it should be overturned. She will also provide examples of seniors that
would be disenfranchised due to the law.
The hearing is titled, Older Voters: Opportunities
and Challenges for the 2008 Election, and will open at 10:30 a.m. in
Room 216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.
A Webcast of the hearing will be available on the
Committee webpage:
www.aging.senate.gov
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