Numbers and older voters…
With the polls just moments away from closing in Boise, and a little over an hour from closing in North Idaho, here's some food for thought: Were many of the people you saw voting at your polling place older folks, 50-plus? Prompting the question: The Idaho AARP has released a breakdown of its members by congressional and legislative district, and the group has 185,279 members statewide, 104,100 in the 1st Congressional district, 81,179 in the 2nd CD, and anywhere from 3,770 to 7,337 in each legislative district. Compare those numbers to the vote in the last non-presidential primary election, in 2006, when there were 184,456 votes cast statewide, and many legislative districts saw turnout that fell well below the current number of AARP members in the district - Examples: District 1 now has 7,337 AARP members, and in the 2006 contested race for state Senate there, just 4,748 people voted. District 21 now has 5,500 AARP members, according to the group; in 2006, 4,554 people cast votes in that district.
David Irwin, Idaho AARP spokesman, estimates that three of every 10 Idaho primary voters likely will be AARP members. "One thing is for sure, AARP members will be a force at the ballot box," he said in a statement.