Religion and the Vote: The Role of Faith in Modern American Elections

Religion influences American political and public life in a huge variety of ways, shaping foreign policy, economics, and social issues. We seek to understand how religion impacts the way in which candidates for political office engage these issues. Polls show that, in general, religious Americans are more likely to vote Republican and less-religious or secular Americans tend to vote Democratic; however, the role of religion in government is much more complicated and nuanced than this simple binary. To what extent does religiosity impact party identification? How does it affect the way candidates seek office, and how does it affect voters’ choices?

Panelists will include:

Anthea Butler, University of Pennsylvania
Robert P. Jones, PRRI, Author of The End of White Christian America
Sarah Posner, Journalist, Author of God’s Profits: Faith, Fraud, and the Republican Crusade for Values Voters
Kenneth Wald, University of Florida
Fred Harris (moderator), Columbia University