MARTINSVILLE — Linda Hacker always votes.
“If you don’t vote, you don’t have a say in anything,” the 83-year-old Morgan County woman said before leaving her polling site in downtown Martinsville.
Older Americans like Hacker tend to be the ones who show up at the polls on Election Day, despite mobility issues some face.
According to national census data compiled after the 2024 election, 80% of citizens 65 and older were registered to vote that year and 75% of them cast ballots. For residents 18-24, 58% were registered and just 48% voted.
In Indiana, nearly 82% of residents ages 65 and older were registered to vote that year and turnout was 73% for the age group. For Indiana residents ages 18-24, 62% were registered to vote in 2024 and turnout for the age group was 48%.
‘It’s your responsibility’
Robert and Janice Olech voted Tuesday morning at the Morgan County Judicial Campus. Robert helped Janice steer her rollator walker along the sidewalk leading to the entry.
Leaving their home is a challenge for Janice, who has Parkinson’s disease and limits her outings to medical appointments and meals at Cracker Barrel. But voting is important, the 77-year-olds said.
“You can make a difference,” Robert said. “I wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t vote. It’s your responsibility.”
A devout Republican, he wants to vote out Democrats he says are out of touch with American values. He wants President Trump to end the wars the U.S. is involved in and focus on his own country.
Janice, too, is frustrated by Democrats. But she cast a rare vote for one Tuesday.
“I told him (Robert) I’m crossing over for Beau Bayh,” she said, remembering when the secretary of state candidate’s father, Evan Bayh, was Indiana’s governor. “I remember when his (Beau’s) mother died, and I saw on the news yesterday he and his dad took flowers to her grave.”
The Martinsville couple has been married 54 years. He was fine with her choosing a Democrat.
“We don’t argue over politics,” Robert said.
At the Martinsville Area Senior Center, Karen Brown and Lori Huser greeted voters in the parking lot. The women, both in their 50s, wore T-shirts and had handouts supporting Republican superior court judge candidate Jerry Smith.
“Maybe it’s because we’re at the senior center, but there’s definitely been a lot of older people,” Huser said.
In Mishawaka, 68-year-old Dawn Velleman cast her ballot before Tuesday.
She has multiple health issues and struggles with pain that limits her ability to stand. She waited in line 90 minutes on Oct. 31 to vote at the Mishawaka County Services Building.
The Trump-averse Democrat in Mishawaka said it’s maddening that more Americans don’t value their right to vote during a time when challenges to voting abound.
“I have a cousin who’s in her 50s and I was shaming her and her roommate the other day because neither one of them pays attention to politics or voting,” she said. “I lose respect for people who don’t know what’s going on and don’t use their power to vote to try and change things.”
“Take a look at all the people who don’t vote and think how much all those votes would add up to,” she said. “As soon as I could sign up to vote, I did.”
Velleman worries about young non-voters who either don’t care or have given up on affecting change through elections.
“Things you want aren’t always just given to you and sometimes don’t come easy. You have to understand how society works and how things can change when you are aware. There’s a responsibility to vote.”
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FPI News reporter Laura Lane covers the people and issues of rural Indiana. Reach her at 812-760-1540 or laura.lane@fpinews.org.
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