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Religious Vote Influence

Comment comment by VnutZ on 06 February 2008

So ... I saw a comment, "Seriously though, do you really wonder why people call it a cult with stats like that?" in an e-mail regarding religion and voting. Take a look at the voting statistics for Utah which show Romney garnering 90% of the vote. Considering that Romney doesn't currently have any political affiliations with Utah, one can make the leap that Utah's propensity for Mormonism (62% according to Wikipedia) drove the ballots. So are people voting with their conscience, politics or faith?

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RE: Religious Vote Influence by Brandon :: NR9

I think things like religious or party affiliation make it easy for people to find a reason to become involved. Those who would otherwise not really care (or perhaps concentrate on things such as looks or accent) can say, "I'm voting for this guy because he shares my faith/political affiliation/etc."

As for the cult comment, it's ridiculous. You might as well call all black people a cult because they support Obama overwhelmingly - as well as evangelicals due to their support for Huckabee.

I think the clear indication from the numbers is that people in Utah understand the LDS religion more on a general scale than probably anywhere else. Virtually all Utahans, whether LDS or not, have Mormon friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. They've witnessed first-hand the influence of the religion on people and the interaction of the Church with the government. While many others fear what they don't know, those in Utah (as well as, to a lesser extent, those in Nevada, Colorado, Wyoming, etc.) know and don't fear.

Posted 06 February 2008, Hide, Parent, Reply