In 2016, religiously unaffiliated Americans, or “nones,” represented 21 percent of registered voters, one percentage point more than white evangelical Christians. However, they only accounted for 15 percent of actual voters, according to Pew Research Center and national exit polls.
Secular activists see the gap between these two figures as a call to action for 2018 and beyond. They plan to improve voter turnout and shape the “nones” into a dominant political force.
“We want to be seen as a powerhouse constituency,” said Sarah Levin, director of grass-roots and community programs at the Secular Coalition for America.
If that happens, the “nones” could help drive faith groups from the public square, reducing religious exemptions meant to protect people with more conservative beliefs, said John Green, a professor of political science at the University of Akron. But that’s a big “if,” he added.
“Many of the markers you’d use to target people are not available with this group,” he said, noting that religiously unaffiliated adults don’t meet with one another on Sunday mornings or follow the same set of leaders.
Secular activists will never unify all Americans who’ve dropped out of organized religion, said David Campbell, chairman of the political science department at the University of Notre Dame. However, even mobilizing just those “nones” who actively identify as atheist, agnostic or secular will boost the political influence of the nonreligious community in dramatic ways.
Read the full story at Deseret News
