Democrats gather local seniors for postcard campaign to get out the vote in November

QUINCY — State Rep. Franklin Gallop, D-Tallahassee, is a soft-spoken, mild-mannered pharmacist and college professor whose six-minute address to a group of seniors on Monday was interrupted four times by chanting and applause.

The hollering began when he explained the price of insulin had dropped from a high of $300 a month to $35 under President Joe Biden’s administration.

And 'whoops' turned to applause when Gallop described how supplemental income programs like Social Security and Medicare have brought “relief and dignity” to many elderly Americans. They were so focused, a table with platters of cold cut sandwiches, pasta salad, cookies and sweet tea was largely ignored.

“It’s a senior citizen roundup,” chuckled Terry Chapman, a retired U.S. postal worker, as he clapped.

Polls show a tight presidential campaign will play out this summer and fall. And like a baserunner contemplating a steal, the Biden campaign has its eyes on the senior vote to make up for a loss of support among younger and Black voters over the war in Gaza.

The seniors were rounded up to write postcards to their neighbors and to remind them to request a mail-in ballot and how the reelection of Joe Biden is, in the words of Gallop, “a matter of life and death” for seniors. The deadline to request a mail-in ballot is Oct. 5.

Chapman says he agrees with Gallop because at the top of the Republican ticket are former President Donald Trump and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott. Both have said they are open to cutting Social Security and Medicare, which many elderly Americans rely on.

“They went on the record with that. They made it official. When you start threatening those programs, you are going to lose votes,” Chapman said.

Added Joe Sigler, a retired public relations professional: “They have to be out of their minds.”

Social Security, Medicare top of mind for many older voters

More than five million Floridians depend on Social Security and Medicare. Franklin said any reduction to those programs would impact more than 10,000 people in Gadsden and Leon counties.

But the Trump campaign told CNN that when the former president said a lot can be done “in terms of entitlements, in terms of cutting and in terms of also the theft and bad management,” he was talking not about cutting any programs but improving management.

While Franklin and a campaign spokesperson said Biden will pursue every voting group in Florida, University of Central Florida political scientist Aubrey Jewett said it makes sense to spend more resources on seniors than younger voters.

Those over 65 are the largest voting group in the state; those older than 50 turn out at a much higher rate than younger people. Moreover, there were 2.3 million people under 50 who voted in 2022, compared to 5.3 million over 50, according to elections data expert Matt Isbell, who has worked for Democrats.

Jewett said few would expect the Biden camp to win the over-50 vote, currently trending in Trump’s favor at 54%.

But as “part of a multi-prong approach if they could get it down to a 51-49% split, it could get interesting. A 3% change in any group – Black, Hispanic, old – can make a very big difference in Florida,” Jewett said.

Jewett said it is difficult to determine the overall impact of a senior strategy because of unknown factors, such as what will younger voters who have soured on Biden in June do in November: They can sit out the election, vote for a third-party candidate, or return to the Biden fold.

"This is a battle for the soul of our nation," said Marva Davis as she began writing postcards to voters.

The Biden campaign outfitted the senior roundup with lists of people who voted by mail four years ago but have not yet requested a ballot. Dozens of peoples sat in a banquet hall and wrote postcards urging neighbors to request a ballot and telling them why the election is important.

“Democracy is up for grabs this time and what we are doing here is going to save democracy,” ” said 83-year-old Barbara Davis, no relation to Marva.

By early afternoon, the group had written to more than 100 seniors in Leon and Gadsden counties.

James Call is a member of the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida Capital Bureau. He can be reached at jcall@tallahassee.com and is on X as @CallTallahassee.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Democrats rally seniors for postcard drive to get out vote for Biden