Older adults who vote in elections live longer than those who do not

A study of Wisconsin older adults found that voting in U.S. presidential elections was linked to lower long-term mortality than not voting.

Researchers analyzed long-term data from Wisconsin high school graduates and compared voters with nonvoters across the 2004, 2008, and 2012 elections.

The lower death rates held over 5, 10, and 15 years, even after adjusting for health, income, sex, marital status, and other civic activity.

The pattern was similar regardless of how people voted and whether their preferred candidate won, suggesting civic participation may be tied to better survival in later life.