BEFORE YOU VOTE ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6:  Find out where the candidates for President, U.S. Senate and U.S. Representative stand on Social Security and Medicare!

With the last U.S. Senate debate in Massachusetts cancelled, voters have little opportunity before Election Day to hear directly from Scott Brown (R) and Elizabeth Warren (D) about their plans for the future of Social Security and Medicare, two key election issues for voters age 50 and older.  To get the basic facts on where the candidates for U.S. Senate, U.S. Representative – and President – stand on Social Security, Medicare and financial security, check out the AARP Voters’ Guide, available online at www.earnedasay.org.  AARP is nonpartisan.

 “While we were eager to hear Scott Brown and Elizabeth Warren talk directly to voters about their plans for the future of Medicare and Social Security during the last scheduled televised debate, the AARP Voters’ Guide can help provide you with a snapshot of where the candidates stand on these important issues before Election Day,” says Linda F. Fitzgerald, state president of AARP Massachusetts, which serves more than 800,000 members age 50 and older across the commonwealth. “Bottom line: the AARP Voters’ Guide brings nonpartisan, straightforward information – in the candidates’ own words – on important issues from the campaign trail to kitchen tables.”

The majority of voters age 50+, across party lines, say that getting more specifics about candidates’ plans on Social Security (72%) and Medicare (72%) will help determine their vote on Election Day, according to AARP national surveys.  The AARP Voters’ Guide for federal races poses three questions on Social Security, Medicare, and financial security; they are:

• How would you protect Social Security for today’s seniors and strengthen it for future generations?
• How would you put Medicare on stronger financial ground and protect today’s seniors and future retirees from the burden of rising health costs?
• How would you help Americans build a financial nest egg for their retirement?

The responses from the candidates, including Brown and Warren, consist of publicly available information and excerpts from candidates’ campaign sources; they appear alongside AARP principles on each issue.

When voters visit www.earnedasay.org, they may review all guides for their districts by entering a home address. Voters will also have the opportunity to learn more about options being discussed to change Social Security and Medicare, with information provided by those whose views typically represent different sides of the issue, including the Brookings Institution, the Heritage Foundation, and the National Academy of Social Insurance.

“For more than 26 years, AARP has worked to make sure that candidates address the issues important to older voters and that these voters have the information they need to make their own educated choices at the ballot box.” Fitzgerald adds. 

To view the AARP Voters’ Guide online, visit www.earnedasay.org or www.aarp.org/ma.  For those without Internet access, call 1-866-448-3621 to request a printed version. 

The nonpartisan AARP does not support or oppose any political candidates, nor contribute any money to political action committees, campaigns or superPACs.