(C) El Paso Matters.org This story was originally published by El Paso Matters.org and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Older El Pasoans dominate first day of early voting [1] ['Robert Moore', 'More Robert Moore', 'El Paso Matters'] Date: 2023-04-25 More than 3,900 El Paso city residents cast ballots on the first day of early voting Monday for the May 6 election – with 60% of them over the age of 65. More than 4,100 people throughout El Paso County voted on Monday, including 3,952 in the El Paso city limits who are eligible to vote on amendments to the City Charter. That includes a proposal that would require the city government to take numerous steps to eliminate reliance on fossil fuels. Monday’s turnout was extraordinarily high for an off-year election in El Paso. The first day of early voting in 2013 and 2017 – the last times mayoral elections were held in the spring of odd-numbered years – drew 2,507 and 1,824 voters, respectively. As is typical in El Paso early voting, the vast majority of people casting ballots on Monday were over age 65. Almost 16 people over 65 cast ballots for every one person under age 30 doing so, an El Paso Matters analysis of voting records shows. Bonnie Spurlin, 71, voted on Tuesday, the second day of early voting, at the El Paso County Eastside Annex. She said she was motivated by the issue that has drawn the most campaign spending in this election – Proposition K, the Climate Charter. “We don’t want Prop K. Are you kidding me,” she said. Early voting continues through May 2; Election Day is May 6. El Paso has more registered voters under 30 than over 65. More than one in five registered voters is under age 30 and the median age of registered voters is 45. Historically, older voters cast ballots earlier in the voting process than younger people, with people under 65 waiting longer to cast ballots during two-week early voting periods. But younger El Pasoans wind up turning out for elections at rates far below their parents and grandparents. In the November 2022 general election, only one of every eight voters in the El Paso city limits was under age 30. The number of senior citizens voting in the 2022 general election was 2½ times more than voters under 30. (Note: some registered voter information provided by the El Paso County Elections Department does not include a birthdate.) Voter Guide: Everything you need to know for El Paso’s May 6 election Learn where to vote in El Paso, view a sample ballot, find your district, and see where candidates stand on key issues. The age mix of the electorate in El Paso’s May 6 election could play a role in the outcome of Proposition K, the Climate Charter amendment. The issue was placed on the ballot after supporters turned in more than 39,000 signatures last year. The petition drive was spearheaded by Sunrise El Paso, which is part of a national environmental movement, and Ground Game Texas, an Austin-based group that advocates for a variety of progressive causes. National polling shows that people under 30 are more than twice as likely as those over 65 to support phasing out use of fossil fuels over time to rely completely on renewable energy resources. A key part of the Climate Charter calls on the city of El Paso to rely exclusively on “clean renewable energy” by 2045. National polling also indicates that Hispanics are more likely than non-Hispanics to say climate change is a top priority for them, and is currently affecting their local community. El Paso Matters editor Ramon Bracamontes contributed to this story. [END] --- [1] Url: https://elpasomatters.org/2023/04/25/older-voters-dominate-first-day-of-may-6-el-paso-election-voting/ Published and (C) by El Paso Matters.org Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons CC BY-ND 4.0 International. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/elpasomatters/