Source: Small Towns and Rural Seniors (STARS)
Wisconsin seniors group calls for governor candidates to address older adults, caregivers
Aug 24, 2026, 4:43 PM CT
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Small Town and Rural Seniors across Wisconsin have been watching the governor’s race carefully. We want to know two things: Which candidates understand the contributions and needs of seniors, and what will the candidates do for us, the fastest growing age group in the state?
Today, there are already more than one million Wisconsinites who are 65 and older. By 2030 there will be 1.3 million seniors in Wisconsin – and seniors already vote at the highest percentage of any age group.
To put it plainly, there is not a path to statewide office that doesn’t require the support of seniors, and we will be reviewing the primary results to understand the role older adult voters played in determining the outcome of the primaries.
Despite the enormous number and power of senior voters, no candidate running for governor has yet articulated a comprehensive plan for investing in seniors and our families.
In Baraboo earlier this summer, STARS hosted a candidate town hall. At the town hall, we pressed the candidates on issues such as the growing caregiver shortage, the sale of publicly owned nursing homes, senior housing, transportation, affordability and fraud. We have been organizing both in our hometowns and across the state and have a firm sense of proactive, sound policy that could enhance the quality of life for seniors and help move Wisconsin forward.
No matter who will be Wisconsin’s next governor or which party will control the statehouse, our work to organize seniors to improve our lives and our communities continues beyond any election cycle.
Small Town & Rural Seniors (STARS) is an electoral organizing project designed and led by Wisconsin seniors who are organizing to make Wisconsin a better place to age:
- Securely housed and at home
- With access to affordable, quality care
- Connected to the people and institutions we love
- United and building a better Wisconsin for all of us
Find out more on their website and Facebook page.
Janet Ratajczak is a senior who migrated from the big city life of Chicago (where she was born and raised) to the pastoral beauty of southern WI. She enjoys being in nature, the ‘lake life’ activities, and is now an avid pickleball enthusiast.
She is a member of the Groundswell Collective, a senior-led grassroots organization in Walworth County committed to shaping the future by improving quality of life in Wisconsin and across the country.
