According to a recent email from Ballot Ready, America’s political candidates are getting younger.
The findings are based on a database of 250,000 unique candidates.
The median age of candidates is falling. Looking at the last seven years, the median age in 2018 was 61. It dropped to 60 in 2019 and 2020. The median age for 2021 and 2022 was 57. In 2023 and 2024 it was 56.
The age of candidates is lowest at the federal level. The average age of federal candidates is 56, the same as for states. In regional elections, the candidate age average is 59. On the county level, the age is 58 while city and local candidates average 57 years.
There is no significant median age difference between parties with Republicans at 59 and Democrats at 58.
The mathematician in me immediately noticed that average age was used in the breakdown of federal to local while median age was listed in the overall categories.
An average of something is calculated by adding up the numbers and dividing how many numbers you have listed. For example, if you have a list of 8, 6 and 5 you calculate the average by adding 8+6+5 and dividing by 3.
Median is a bit more confusing. I pulled a description from the internet. To find the median: Arrange the data points from smallest to largest. If the number of data points is odd, the median is the middle data point in the list. If the number of data points is even, the median is the average of the two middle data points in the list.
Early Voting
Just about everyone knows there’s a General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Apparently in Barber County, Kansas, early or advance voting is already in progress. It began last Wednesday, Oct. 16, and will continue through Monday, Nov. 4. Hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through Friday and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Monday, Nov. 4. There is no voting on Saturday or Sunday. Advance voting is at the County Clerk’s Office in the Barber County Courthouse in Medicine Lodge.
Alfalfa County and Woods County will have early voting today, Oct. 30, through Friday, Nov. 1, with hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Saturday, early voting will be from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The locations will be at the Alfalfa County Election Board Office in Cherokee and the Woods County Election Board Office in Alva.
With all these opportunities, there’s little excuse for registered voters to miss going to the polls.
Leading Causes of Death
Last week, I shared some information about elections from USAFacts. Here’s some information about the leading causes of death in the United States:
It might be easy to assume COVID-19 is still a leading cause of death in the US, but the virus stopped being one of the top three causes in 2022. While heart disease and cancer continue to be major causes, accidents – including drug overdoses and car crashes – have surpassed COVID-related losses.
In 2022, heart disease caused 21% of all deaths nationwide, while cancer accounted for 19%.
Approximately 231,000 people died from accidents like poisonings, falls, car crashes, and other transportation accidents. These accounted for 7% of deaths in 2022.
Accidental drug overdoses made up around 3% of all deaths in 2022. They were especially prevalent among people between the ages of 18 and 45, causing one-quarter of deaths in this demographic.
Heart disease killed nearly 211 per 100,000 people, while cancer killed 182.5 out of 100,000. These two diseases were responsible for over 40% of deaths among adults over 45.
Motor vehicle crashes were one of the top causes of death among children, accounting for 15% of all deaths among people under age 18.
What are the leading causes of death in Oklahoma?
Heart disease, cancer, and accidents were the top three Oklahoma causes of death in 2022. Of the total deaths that year, 24,067, or 50%, were due to one of these three causes. The fourth and fifth most common causes were COVID-19 and chronic lower respiratory diseases.
In 2022, 26% of deaths were from heart disease, 17% of deaths were from cancer and 7% of deaths were from accidents
Heart disease and cancer have been significant causes of death in recent years. For every 100,000 people living in Oklahoma, 305 people died from heart disease and 208 died from cancer in 2022. The top five leading causes of death account for 64% of all deaths in 2022.
What are the leading causes of death in Kansas?
In 2022, heart disease, cancer, and COVID-19 were the leading causes of death in Kansas. Of the 13,995 deaths that year, 44% were due to one of these three causes. The fourth and fifth most common causes were accidents and chronic lower respiratory diseases.
In 2022, 20% of deaths were from heart disease, 17% of deaths were from cancer and 6% of deaths were from covid-19
Heart disease and cancer have been the two leading causes of death since 1999. For every 100,000 people living in Kansas, 219 people died from heart disease and 188 died from cancer in 2022. COVID-19 became one of the leading causes of death in Kansas at the outset of the pandemic, but its rank subsequently dropped. The top five leading causes of death accounted for 56% of all deaths in 2022.
The leading causes of death in Kansas are consistently heart disease and cancer.
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