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Comment by afarrell | Hacker News Reader

There may be labor resistance to self-driving trucks, but you know who is in favor of[1] self-driving cars? the American Association of Retired Persons. They are the most powerful lobbying organization in the US because in addition to their $232 million[1] lobbying budget, they can deliver the thing that politicians on state and federal levels care most about: votes. People age 65 and older consistently vote at higher rates than the rest of the population [3]. At least, until their inability to drive a car keeps them from the polls...

[1] http://www.aarp.org/home-family/personal-technology/info-201...

[2] http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/3/22/is-the-aarp-...

[3] http://money.usnews.com/money/retirement/articles/2012/03/19...

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The elderly have organized pickups to drive them to the polls, absentee ballots, relatives, etc.

The scariest thing I've seen was a Facebook conversation in which no less than a dozen of my classmates, all finance sector employees, were openly mocking an article about the massive disruption self-driving cars will have, as if it were a Jetson's fantasy rather than a one to two year prospect and ten year inevitability. We're in for a massive bumpy disruption. Smart investors stand to make a fortune right now. But a lot of people are going to lose their shirt in the process.

Thats true. I've overstated the case that AARP would view driverless cars as a means to greatly increase the size of its voting bloc rather than just prevent social isolation of its members.

I'd be willing to bet that the combination of the possibility for massive economic value from driverless cars combined with a lack of knowledge around that will lead some people to be irrationally exuberant. Hopefully this does not lead to a bubble.

> until their inability to drive a car keeps them from the polls...

According to http://www.mtvoters.org/node/356

If you're unable to drive to the polls yourself, you have several options:

You can vote by mail.

You can catch a ride with a friend or neighbor.

You can get a ride from one of numerous organizations and agencies that offer voter transportation. Call your local election office to find out who is providing transportation in your community.

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