COLUMBIA - Want an inkling of senior citizens' political influence in South Carolina?

Just check the lineup of speakers who met at the Statehouse with the Silver Hair Legislature, a group that advocates for issues affecting seniors.

A half-hour Q&A with Gov. Mark Sanford. Visits by Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and Speaker of the House Bobby Harrell. A meeting with Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom.

"They come to us now," said Chester Tomson Jr., of Orangeburg.

Compare the advocacy group's previous priorities with legislation that has passed the General Assembly. More investigation of reports of elderly neglect and abuse? Got it.

Criminal background checks for nursing home employees? Yep.

Student loan help for doctors who emphasize geriatrics? OK.

Decrease in the sales tax on food? Consider it done.

"We are observant. We are aware of what's going on. We pay attention," Mr. Tomson said. "And the politicians are aware of that."

Quite simply, "They're well-organized and they vote," Clemson University political science professor Dave Woodard said.

Seniors might not get everything they want. But, Mr. Woodard said, "Certainly anybody running for office has to listen to them."

The Silver Hair Legislature's top priorities for the next legislative session include:

- Criminal background checks for in-home and adult day-care providers

- Regulation of the interest rates charged by payday lenders

- Increased funding for in-home and community-based services

- Increased funding to help abused elderly

- Debt forgiveness for nurse practitioners specializing in geriatric care

"We're advocates," said Elaine Lust, of Bluffton. "We're not lobbyists."

It's not that senior citizens have a lock on political power in South Carolina. Mr. Sanford already told the group Thursday that he didn't think the General Assembly would be outlawing payday lenders anytime soon. And the General Assembly hasn't moved much - or sometimes at all - on several issues the Silver Hair Legislature keeps pushing: transportation for an affordable fee, the elimination of liability for insured volunteers who drive the elderly around; greater funding for a statewide, in-home respite program.

"As is always the case in politics, and I see this on a daily basis, you get a piece of every apple, you never get the whole apple, and I expect a number of (your ideas) will come to fruition," Mr. Sanford said.

However, the number of senior citizens in South Carolina continues to grow - as baby boomers and retirees move in.

Statistics show older citizens vote more than some of the younger groups. That brings political influence.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, people 65 and older made up 12.4 percent of the state's population in 2004 - and, for example, 13.4 percent of Aiken County's. Yet they were 18 percent of the vote statewide that year, and 19.5 percent of the vote in Aiken County.

Mr. Bauer, who oversees the Office on Aging, said South Carolina ranks as the fifth-most popular state for relocating retirees.

The Silver Hair Legislature said there are about 660,000 seniors in the state today. By 2030, the U.S. Census Bureau projects more than 1.3 million.

So what does that mean for South Carolina?

"Not only does the need for services increase, but also the number of people who are taxpayers, who become new (South Carolina) taxpayers, and the resources they bring in" affect the whole state, Mr. Tomson said.

Mr. Woodard expects seniors to continue to emphasize taxing and spending issues. A boon for seniors doesn't necessarily mean a bust for everyone else.

For one thing, many of the issues that affect seniors affect other South Carolinians, said Tom Lloyd, the speaker of the Silver Hair Legislature.

For example, payday loans are a significant problem for single parents and the military, he said.

Secondly, said Mr. Lloyd - who was a long-time lobbyist - just because seniors are advocating for one issue or another doesn't mean legislation will pass. But seniors might have an edge - if for no other reason than they step up to the microphone.

Said Mr. Sanford: "We live in a time of remarkable change, which to me says, given our political system, if you ain't making your voice heard, it ain't gonna get heard in a time of change."

Reach Kirsten Singleton at (803) 414-6611 or kirsten.singleton@morris.com.