You could improve things by leaving off the age graph.
Or you could modify it to show citizens of voting age. Better yet, so it's apples to apples, US citizens > 25 vs Congress age.
(The minimum age for the House is 25, 30 for the Senate).
(And I’ll be honest - my time on twitter prepared me for you to be against this for the info it was showing, not how it was being shown. I realise now, as a former analyst, that you’re just being a good data steward 🤣)
As soon as you said age, I realised what you meant.
Although I think it’s a bit of a slippery slope. Should it only include people with the right to vote? Only citizens? Should the same filter be applied to the gender metric? Etc.
Either way, we still have a big problem with representation!
True that some of the purported “skew” is inherent & even unavoidable: eg ~22% of pop. is <18 yrs old and can’t vote, let alone sit in Congress. Despite that, the disconnect between demographics of Congress & pop. as whole is problematic.
Young people need to get active and change the average age in congress. The fact that over half are millionaires explains our tax laws very quickly and leaves 95 percent abandoned !
Who voted for Our Congress?
The greatest benefit to Republicans in Congress is decades of the public blaming Congress as a whole for Republican cruelty and things every Democrat in Congress voted against.
"Vote them All Out" protects Republicans.
Big Oil knows "they're all the same" is a myth.
Our "representatives" (Rulers) Are not elected, but selected for us. We hold "elections" to keep people complacent and blaming each other. The USA hasn't had free fair or transparent elections in decades. If we did, we would live in a vastly different country.
They're not millionaires usually when they get there.
They become millionaires after they get there because of "campaign contributions." Then they don't leave because there are no term limits.
That's really the biggest problem. The others are a byproduct of the first.
Our congress has not represented the people since Reagan was president, he lied about trickle down economics, the GOP has been screwing the American people ever since. They are not trying to pass a bill that will destroy America, and hand it over to the rich, and a dictator. WAKE UP AND FIGHT.
It seems there might be a failure at the grass roots level as much as there is a stranglehold by the privileged. Are too many people accepting of this situation to fight it? Is there not enough grass roots participation in the party processes? Is optional as opposed to compulsory voting implicated?
Provides the ability to rank choices and adds some proportionality so the vast majority of voters are represented in their local district by an aligned member.
I see the problem, but I don't see the solution. People have a right to vote for whomever they want. You may believe that congress should mirror the demographics of society, but clearly the voting public doesn't share that view. To change the voting patterns, we need to change people's attitudes.
Thanks! This helps my argument that there should be some sort of 'jury duty' system that picks representatives. That would ensure a more representative make-up of Congress, Parliament, etc.
Comments
Learn something about conveying information in graphs, then repost.
Would you refresh my memory?
You could improve things by leaving off the age graph.
Or you could modify it to show citizens of voting age. Better yet, so it's apples to apples, US citizens > 25 vs Congress age.
(The minimum age for the House is 25, 30 for the Senate).
Although I think it’s a bit of a slippery slope. Should it only include people with the right to vote? Only citizens? Should the same filter be applied to the gender metric? Etc.
Either way, we still have a big problem with representation!
90 million eligible voters did not vote in 2024.
This number is greater than the number of people who voted for either Trump or Kamala Harris.
Think about that!
It is comparing the age of every American with a group that must be 25 or 30 to get the job.
You lack the ability to comprehend data if you find it compelling.
The greatest benefit to Republicans in Congress is decades of the public blaming Congress as a whole for Republican cruelty and things every Democrat in Congress voted against.
"Vote them All Out" protects Republicans.
Big Oil knows "they're all the same" is a myth.
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/perspectives-on-politics/article/testing-theories-of-american-politics-elites-interest-groups-and-average-citizens/62327F513959D0A304D4893B382B992B
They become millionaires after they get there because of "campaign contributions." Then they don't leave because there are no term limits.
That's really the biggest problem. The others are a byproduct of the first.
What a bunch of powerfully damning pie graphs.
There is so little representation in Congress.
#VoteThemOut
Provides the ability to rank choices and adds some proportionality so the vast majority of voters are represented in their local district by an aligned member.
https://www.wfaa.com/video/news/verify/verifyfalseclaimabouttheproblemwithcongress/507-f062bba4-c2b0-42ea-82a0-35f153eacf10
Normal people should run for office more.
Hmmm
Age means experience and wisdom
They don’t count?