Religion and Voting Behavior

RELIGION IS ONE factor that can potentially influence voting patterns and the choices made on Election Day. However, religion is but one part of the complex social mix found within the American electorate. Other forces such as gender, social status, income, and ethnic identities also shape voting. In the distant past there have been other special interests such as regional identity, state rights, western and foreign expansion, attitudes to immigration, and common economic aspirations that have influenced voting decisions. Religion as a political device faces difficulties within the existing American constitutional framework. The U.S. Constitution, through the Establishment Clause found within the First Amendment, demands a clear separation of church and state, a position that has steadily evolved since the 1790s. This has meant that at all levels there is a secular approach to governing and government. It has also been the desire of repeated administrations to keep religion outside of the state in order to promote national harmony, given the wide variety of competing religions.

Although the nation manifested a primarily Protestant religious identity in its early creation, the arrival of large numbers of Irish Catholics in the 1840s, who were soon joined by German and other European Catholics as the century unfolded, challenged the status quo. The Democratic Party welcomed these new Catholic voters, at least in the northern, midwestern, and western branches of the party. More recently, the rise of a more fundamentalist Christianity, particularly since the 1980s, has found an outlet, and has exerted political influence on the conservative section of the Republican Party. Their emphasis on religious values has seemingly produced recent dividends in Republican voter turnout, and, perhaps, election victories.

Even with a strong religious base, voter participation is not guaranteed nor do the issues remain constant. Demands change with the times as circumstances shift. For a time, 9/11 brought a unified patriotic response to an external threat that increased citizen consciousness above narrow concerns, religious and otherwise. Meeting such threats was more important initially than party policies or political personalities, but religion can enter the discussion when a search for understanding is undertaken. This can lead to a common religious orientation becoming entwined with the nation's perceived destiny. This situation can be manipulated into an electoral advantage, especially when parties differ over concepts of national security.

Religious voter orientation, though, can be hotly debated. While religion is a driving force, and Americans for the most part consider themselves God-fearing and church-going, American voter participation has declined to the point where only approximately 50 percent of the electorate actually votes. This indicates that voting is becoming a minority event where only a small number of those eligible to vote find the motivation to vote. As a consequence, those with a particular agenda, who are sufficiently motivated, perhaps by religiously-shaped loyalties, can exert a disproportionate effect on an individual election. But simply being a believer in God doesn't make one vote or vote in a particular way. Given a small voter turnout, religion might influence American election outcomes, especially in a state or local context. This becomes more significant when certain religious denominations [Page 704]assert their goals within the body of a political party and help define platforms. Traditionally, Protestants identify with the Republicans. Religious devotion and commitment, if it leads to activism, can raise political expectations. This can increase the willingness to vote in a particular direction, along with other factors such as established personal histories and loyalties.

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