Calling all non-religious voters…Where are all the non-religious
voters? At a time when religion seems to
be the driving factor in almost every single social issue, you would think
someone speaking on behalf of the non-religious would speak up. But they aren’t. Not saying that the non-religious are quiet,
they aren’t, but they don’t spout about their lack of religion. What do I mean? How many people arguing for pro-choice have
on their poster “I’m an atheist, I support choice!” You show me the sign, I will change my
mind. However, how often do you see the
sign “God doesn’t support killing, be pro-life!” The same goes for the issue of gay marriage,
stem cell research, and not surprisingly the separation of church and
state. It seems that people who hold
certain stances on issues because of a religious reason ONLY have it because of
religion – yet, you see more often than not non-religious voters/people hold
stances based on many different reasons.
(Granted I am over-simplifying a very complex topic, these observations
are still relevant). To someone who
enjoys studying religion and does not practice any faith, it is striking to see
how much religion currently influences the decisions and thoughts of everyday
people and politicians/lawmakers; yet for some reason the lack of religion is
rarely spoken of.
In all the data and polls I have ever saw, those identifying
as non-religious make up about 14 to 16 percent of the population, but
according to a recent Gallup poll,
the non-religious make up about 30 percent of the registered voters (Gallup 7/2012). Please contain your
astonishment, because I was just as shocked that the number was that high; also
forewarning the number may be that high because it might be exclusively looking
at white voters – the report was unclear.
This measure of religion is based on the importance of religion in their
daily lives and also religious attendance (Gallup 7/2012). Gallup also linked the lack of religion with
a few other demographics. Accordingly,
those who are non-religious tend to be younger, unmarried, and vote more
prevalently for Obama (Gallup 7/2012).
(Please take a look at the data obtained in argument for what Gallup is proposing.) I would even go as far to make the claim that
geography has just as much of a pull on the effects of a voter’s religion or
lack thereof. I don’t think it is any
big surprise to see a religious divide between the south and the northeast –
that is pretty much common sense. Those
in the south, particularly in the ‘Bible Belt’, tend to vote more
conservatively and Republican, but you could even argue that the area is more
rural, traditional, and just plain older.
In states where there are more cities and that are more urban, you are
much more likely to see young, college students, unmarried, and more liberal
voters – that is just how it goes.
HuffingtonPost looked at the most and least religious cities
in May of this year and not surprisingly Salt Lake City, Utah was the most
religious at an astounding 74 percent (surprised, I’m not?) (HuffingtonPost 5/2012). To be honest, I thought Salt Lake City would
be relatively higher than just a measly 74 percent, but whateves. The cities were kind of all over the map, but
some of the higher percentages were from the south, particularly in the ‘Bible
Belt’. Portland, Oregon was the least
religious that Huffington mentioned, at 31,591 religious adherents to every
100,000 people (Huffington Post 5/2012). And
just to tie the two points together, according to the CNN election map, not
surprisingly Romney has Utah, and Oregon seems to be voting Obama. Also, minus North Carolina (who isn’t firmly
Romney, but leaning) and Florida (toss up like always), the south is supporting
Romney. The northeast, with an exception
for New Hampshire (which is a toss up ) is for the most part supporting Obama (CNN). So, I do think that geographical location
should be a demographic variable used when looking at religion and voting for a
specific party as well, because these non-religious voters are attracted to
certain areas for a reason. But, just as
Gallup states at the end of this release, this religion divide is not new unique
to Obama, but is typically visible where the non-religious vote does tend to
sway more with the Democratic candidate (Gallup 7/2012).
Okay, so now we know where all of you non-religious voters
are hiding, why are you, as a resource, not being tapped in to? Why are there no programs set up to improve
your life? There are no private schools
to encourage non-religious thinkers. No
well-known lobbyists vying for non-religious institutions or laws. But you know what, that is testament (ironic
word I know) to what non-religious believers stand for – or at least I think
so. Myself, being non-religious, believe
that everyone should have an open opportunity not based on their religion. A politician should not be judged based on
their religion but their qualifications for the job at hand; their experience,
their knowledge of other cultures, their defense knowledge – not their ability
to say a good prayer or go to church every Sunday. Accordingly, a child should not get a
different education or one that does not display all of the facts and theories
just because of some religious rhetoric.
Also, religion should not be the basis of the laws that go on the books
in this country. Even though according
to Reuters, a poll showed last year around November, “that two-thirds of
Americans believe that it is important
for a presidential candidate to have strong religious beliefs, even if those
beliefs are different than their own” (Reuters). However, you see the numbers sway a bit when
you ask about a Muslim candidate or a Mormon candidate – solely based on their
religion. But here is the question, are
people just confused about religion – I mean it seems that way to me. They want a religious president and yet, in
this country, we are constitutionally contracted to not produce religious
laws. But in reality, religion drives
almost every single conservative argument, but the liberal argument rarely
mentions religion – speaking social issues.
I think it is about time for the non-religious voters to get
just as much media hype as the religious ones.
I want to see some good, non-religious candidates that can run on issues
without bringing up the stupid religion arguments. Face it, not all of us believe that a god
created us, not all of us believe that it is a ‘sin’ for same-sex marriage,
some of us want to learn about all theories of creation not just the bible
version, not all of us believe it is a ‘sin’ to use birth control and
contraceptives, and for christ sake, not all of us believe that America is god’s
country. We are all Americans, and that
is something we should unite over – we should not be divided by the one thing
that differentiates us all from one another, religion. Non-religious voters want jobs and a booming
economy just like those who are religious, so stop shouting your morals and
shoving useless bible quotes down our throats, we don’t care. Politicians who have their religion taped to
their forehead and cannot make a statement without quoting the bible is more
than likely not going to get a non-religious voters vote. Keep in mind, granted this news article is a
little dated, but the non-religious percentage in the U.S. is growing, and
already surpasses some of the most well-known religions and is quickly
approaching Catholicism (USA Today). I
think it is about time to realize that the least recognized minority is quickly
growing, and yet no politician is seemingly evolving to meet their needs. It is time to stop ignoring the non-religious
and bantering towards the radical religious right. This is America where religion is supposed to
be something we do behind closed doors not printed in the law-books, so how
about we take the step and get it out of our decision making process before
this country is turned into a theocracy.
Huffington Post. 5/2012. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/18/most-and-least-religious-cities_n_1522644.html
CNN. Politics. 2012 Electoral Map. http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/ecalculator#?battleground
Reuters. 11/2011. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/08/us-usa-campaign-religion-survey-idUSTRE7A748N20111108
USA Today. 9/2009. http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-09-22-no-religion_N.htm
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