• About
  • Masthead
    • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News
    • Residential halls experience maintenance issues
      Residential halls experience maintenance issues
    • Wellesley community grapples with ChatGPT’s implications
      Wellesley community grapples with ChatGPT’s implications
    • Students protest for trans and nonbinary rights
      Students protest for trans and nonbinary rights
    • News in Brief
    • Senate Report
  • Features
    • ES 300 Conducts Waste Audit
      ES 300 Conducts Waste Audit
    • Scholar-advocate visits Wellesley to discuss women and incarceration
      Scholar-advocate visits Wellesley to discuss women and incarceration
    • Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
      Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
    • Alumnae Spotlight
    • Faculty Focus
  • Opinions
    • Navigating Anonymity-Seeking Apps at Wellesley
      Navigating Anonymity-Seeking Apps at Wellesley
    • Trans people are not your culture war
      Trans people are not your culture war
    • The Silicon Valley Bank collapse has exposed how the government chooses to spend its money
      The Silicon Valley Bank collapse has exposed how the government chooses to spend its money
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
  • Arts
    • Hozier stuns with “Eat Your Young” EP
      Hozier stuns with “Eat Your Young” EP
    • Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
      Diana Khoi Nguyen leads workshop and poetry reading
    • “Cocaine Bear” indicates the return of camp movies
      “Cocaine Bear” indicates the return of camp movies
    • Books Before Boys
  • Sports and Wellness
    • No image
      What even is a BORG and why does it matter?
    • What even are BORGs and why do they matter?
      What even are BORGs and why do they matter?
    • What video games can teach us about self-care
      What video games can teach us about self-care
    • Athlete of the Month
  • The Wellesley Snooze
    • Miss Me With That Gay Shit
      Miss Me With That Gay Shit
    • Tower House Prez Emails
      Tower House Prez Emails
    • Worst Human Being You’ve Ever Met Validated by Stone Center Therapist
      Worst Human Being You’ve Ever Met Validated by Stone Center Therapist
By Sarah Young OpinionsNovember 7, 2018

Atheists have the ability to alter election outcomes

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

Disclaimer: for the purpose of this article, “atheist” refers to those who don’t believe in God or view themselves as having no religion, or as Pew calls them, “nones.”

 

         Atheism has played an important, if controversial, part in American political history — specifically when it comes to religious freedom. If you look at religious freedom cases brought before the US Supreme Court, you will see that many involve atheists, especially cases pertaining to religion in schools. Atheists are the reason public schools cannot teach religion, why students  don’t start their mornings with classroom prayers and why, at the end of their education, there will not be a member of the clergy speaking at their graduation. But these are just examples from the mid to late 1900s when atheists were few in number.

According to the Pew Research Center, the number of atheists has been growing significantly over the years.  Their estimate ranges from 17-35 percent of American adults, but a “most credible indirect estimate” is 26 percent.  With these numbers, atheists have the ability to become the largest religious voting bloc in America, beating out Catholics at 20.8 percent and evangelicals at 25.4 percent.

         These numbers are so significant, you might wonder why they aren’t being talked about.  To begin with, this is uncharted territory for atheists. Atheists have been ignored by politicians for years, especially on the right. Conservative tend to emphasize religious values because their base largely identifies as religious.  David Silverman, the president of American Atheists from 2010 until 2018, demonstrated this to a wider audience when he was featured on the late night show “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.” It showed him at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) trying to engage in dialogue with conservatives.  Most of the conversations led nowhere –– except some people saying they would pray for him. Others still said that they would never vote for an atheist, some going as far as to say that a man who does not start his morning in prayer cannot be trusted to be president.

         Seeing this, it is no coincidence that atheists lean Democrat.  In fact, Pew found that while 69 percent of atheists identify as or lean Democrat, only 15 percent of atheists are/lean Republican, with the remaining 17 percent claiming neutrality.  Still, the question remains: why are atheists –– potentially one of the biggest voting blocs in America –– ignored and even rejected from mainstream politics?

         Well, part of it comes down to actual voting records.  While there are more atheists of voting age in America than Catholics, Catholics vote more reliably.  In fact, the Public Religion Research Institute found that while the rate of atheism in America has dramatically increased over the past two decades, very little has changed in the number of those who vote.  The study was concluded after the 2014 election, but we see the percent of registered atheist voters rising steadily while they still only make up about 10-12 percent of the voting population in America.

         If a higher percent of atheists vote in this election, they could have a huge impact on the outcome of the midterms.  With the rise of the religious right, many question whether the political pendulum is getting ready to swing in the opposite direction.  With 69 percent of atheists leaning Democrat, could it be possible that they can make the “Blue Wave” a reality?

 

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleClimate Change is here, and it’s not your fault
Next articleMeaningful conversation is ensnared by social etiquette

You may also like

Sidechat and YikYak's logos on a teal background

Navigating Anonymity-Seeking Apps at Wellesley

Chalk art on Wellesley's Academic Quad Reading "Not Just Acceptance, Liberation"

Trans people are not your culture war

The letters SVB in red are crumbling to pieces

The Silicon Valley Bank collapse has exposed how the government chooses to spend its money

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

COPYRIGHT © 2023 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top