THE VILLAGES, Fla. — The town squares here reliably fill at the same time every day as retirees pile in for singing and dancing. Restaurants offer the same early-bird specials on the same days each week, and patrons wake up to swallow the same pills over the same breakfast. There is a rhythm to life, one often found in the familiarity and comfort of routines.

Folks here don't like change. And yet that's exactly what they're asking for.

After a lifetime of casting votes for politicians who fail to live up to all their promises, those who call this sprawling town without children home say they are hopeful the winning presidential candidate can bring to Washington the reform that they crave.

"Everybody here I talk to says we need to change Washington," said Rich Cole, a 65-year-old retired lawyer and a candidate for county court clerk. "For the first time in my lifetime it seems like we have a real shot to do that."

Cole is a lifelong Republican and will cast his vote for Sen. John McCain, as a majority of the roughly 70,000 people here are expected to do. But the desire for change that he expresses transcends party here. Residents say it's essential, in order to leave the country better for their grandchildren and to make their remaining years better for themselves.

On this development's golf courses (there are 28), over margaritas in the square (they're just $1.75) and at lunch tables in its restaurants (last count was about 80), the election is a constant topic. The financial crisis and health care are cited as concerns, as are the war and candidates' experience. But in the end, it all comes back to that one word.

"It can change _ if enough people say, 'These guys aren't serving me the way they're supposed to.' They're supposed to serve the people, not the businesses, not the oil companies, the large corporations, not the Halliburtons, they're supposed to serve the people," said Gary Kadow, a 62-year-old retiree. "I'm an optimist. I think the day could come when we get enough new people in there that we can change the way Washington works."

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Kadow says he will vote for Sen. Barack Obama. He believes an increased number of residents here will also vote Democratic because they've watched huge chunks of their retirement savings disappear and because, like him, they have shelled out tens of thousands of dollars in health care costs.

Who retirees here pick matters because seniors turn out en masse on Election Day, and the race for Florida's 27 electoral votes is close. In a swing state like this _ where the population of 2.9 million people 65 and over is second only to California's _ seniors can swing the election.

In 2004, the Census Bureau estimates, about 73 percent of those 55 and older voted nationwide, more than any other age group. Only about 47 percent of those aged 18 to 24 voted.

Support among seniors appears evenly split in nationwide polls. Obama and McCain each garnered 47 percent support from likely voters 65 and older in an AP-Yahoo News poll conducted Sept. 5 to 15.

This age group divided evenly between voting Democrat or Republican in the 2006 mid-term elections, according to exit polls. George Bush won 52 percent of the 65-plus vote in 2004, but Bush lost among seniors in 2000.

"I would be surprised if one or the other side comes out with a distinct advantage with the elderly," said Tufts University political science professor Jeffrey Berry. "They're quite diverse. They're not a monolith. And they tend to behave more like the rest of the public as opposed to each other. No group is stereotyped politically as badly as senior citizens."

Stereotypes abound about The Villages, too _ but some of them turn out to be true.

The town squares have the feel of Main Street in Disney World. People seem genuinely happy to be living here and offer friendly smiles to passersby. Many take part in so many activities _ archery to model planes to polo, scrapbooking to Spanish classes and on and on _ that it almost seems like summer camp for seniors.

Homes range from small pre-owned manufactured models for around $65,000, up to massive new ones above $1 million, making this retirement wonderland an accessible option for many, though its reputation is that residents are reasonably well-to-do.

And while Obama buttons are seen pinned to many golf shirts in The Villages and blue signs with the Democratic candidate's name on it are propped in the back of some golf carts, it's hard to dispute this is fertile Republican ground.

George W. Bush easily defeated his opponents in 2000 and 2004 in all three counties The Villages spreads into _ Sumter, Marion and Lake _ and GOP registrations in those counties outpace those of Democrats by as much as 10 percentage points.

Nearly all of the campaign donations above $200 from two of The Villages' ZIP codes went to Republicans, according to figures from the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

One of the dedicated Republicans here is William LeBeau, who at 86 is sipping a wine cocktail from a green plastic cup as he sits in a golf cart with a "Bald Headed Parking Only" sign in the front window. A man wearing a fluorescent button that says "Ask Me About Square Dancing" passes; a flyer for a mah jongg tournament hangs nearby.

"If we don't get John McCain and (Sarah) Palin in, this country's going to go to hell quick," LeBeau said.

LeBeau is retired from a college's maintenance staff and served in the Army during World War II. A cream-colored cowboy hat is set on the seat next to him, with American flag pins and replicas of military medals affixed. Citing Obama's association with his controversial former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, he says he's dubious about the candidate.

"He's Mr. Question Mark as far as I'm concerned," LeBeau says. "I don't trust him."

Jack Bratton says he doesn't either, also pointing to Wright. He's 82, a former Marine and retired electrician who lives off Social Security and the GI disability check he gets for being shot in the shoulder at Okinawa. He walks with a cane, drives a beige pickup and wears flip-up glasses. He talks of "wising up" and becoming a Republican.

All of those factors have made this a popular Republican campaign stop. During the primaries, Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani visited. President Bush has addressed throngs here, too.

When rumors circulated that a planned visit last month by Palin, McCain's running mate, might be canceled, the update was repeatedly broadcast on the local radio station. A DJ even played the Ray Charles song "Crying Time," and told listeners, "It's cryin' time, we won't get to see Sarah."

But Palin did arrive at The Villages, after all, and drew thousands.

The Democratic opposition is substantial, though, and they claim to score new converts every day.

Violet Glickstein said she has seen too many lies coming from McCain and the Republicans and that she has been amazed by what she sees as the GOP candidate's willingness to pander. "It's everything he doesn't believe in, but he does it anyway because he's so driven to get the presidency," said the 66-year-old retired software engineer who was a longtime Republican.

Both presidential candidates and their surrogates are sure to mention Social Security and Medicare in their appearances before seniors, and Obama has been hammering the issue in television ads running in Florida and elsewhere saying McCain wants to privatize the program.

The Republican nominee has said "nothing's off the table" when it comes to Social Security, but his supporters say Obama is using scare tactics in ads and that no changes jeopardizing the program would be made.

Regardless, the issue of those entitlement programs doesn't come up nearly as much among residents of The Villages as national security and the overall health care system, perhaps a reflection of a higher income level.

"There is a real, real urgency that some conditions in this country change before they get worse," said retiree Charles Wright, before ticking off a litany of problems he sees in need of addressing. "I'm talking about the economy. I'm talking about the lack of ability for parents to send their children to colleges. I'm talking about the lack of health care for a great number of people in general _ 47 million is the count _ but I know several people individually that don't have health care. I'm talking about the infrastructure, roads, highways."

For Wright, who is retired from a marketing and public relations business, the change he craves is epitomized in Obama. On a recent weekday night, he was walking through one of The Villages' main squares, Sumter Landing, and was one of the few black faces in the crowd. He was long a Democrat, but ended his support in the 1996 race between Bill Clinton and Bob Dole. Obama is what he's been waiting for.

"He was the first to articulate a global view that made sense," Wright said as entertainers sang from the square's gazebo and a vocalist shouted, "Let's get funky" at the start of a disco set.

While most here say they've already chosen their candidate, others struggle with the decision. Some don't like either option. Some are just tired of the process.

Doris Wesko, a 71-year-old who is retired from real estate, goes back and forth all the time. "I think they're both very evasive when it comes to the issues," she said. "I don't see an agenda to cure anything. I think we could have done better."

Betty Mason feels the same. She's 78 and retired from a steamship company, registered as a Republican, but unsure. She said she would have voted for Hillary Clinton, but of her current choices she just isn't sure.

"I don't want either one," she said. "You could sway me either way very easily."