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| NIELS CHRISTENSEN / Scroll Illustration |
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Throughout The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ history, political participation has been encouraged among its members.
“We should earnestly and sincerely and positively express our convictions to those given the heavy responsibility of making and enforcing our laws,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley in a 2004 First Presidency message.
At the same time, the Church has affirmed its neutral political status, periodically releasing statements saying essentially the same thing time after time, “The Church does not endorse political candidates or parties in elections, nor does it advise its members how to vote.”
Nevertheless, the stances taken by parties on moral issues often result in Latter-day Saint members voting predominantly Republican. Such a polarized vote results in little political clout for Church members. Voting overwhelmingly Republican sometimes causes LDS opinions to fall on deaf political ears. For Republican Party candidates, it is clear they will have Utah’s vote, as has been the case in the majority of elections for over 50 years. Republicans have few reasons to cater to voters in such a state, knowing that no matter what, most LDS voters will vote red because of moral issues.
Folks can shout all they want, pushing for change or reform; politicians have no reason to listen if they know they will get a vote regardless of whether they act on it or not.
Democrats also know the outcome of most Utah elections and spend most of their time and efforts elsewhere. Short of President Hinckley running for president of the United States on a Democratic platform, there is little likelihood Utah as a whole will vote blue on anything in the near future. Soliciting votes from states that have made up their political minds is a waste of time for Democratic politicians.
In fact, some Democrat voters in Utah feel their voices are so ineffectual they arrange to swap votes with voters in swing states. Votepair.org, a Web site dedicated to such “strategic voting,” has more registrants from Utah than any other state. This allows Democrats in states predicted to vote red by a wide margin to cast their vote in states which would go either way, states where their vote could make a difference.
If Church members want their earnest, sincere and positively expressed convictions to affect “those given the heavy responsibility of making and enforcing laws,” as President Hinckley has counseled, something must change.
One way is to register as a Democrat or third- party voter. Doing so does not force registered voters to vote one way or another. This would send the message to both major parties that the general LDS vote is not set in stone. Seeking to win votes, politicians would be more prone to support policies in keeping with the standards and beliefs of LDS voters.
Also worth considering is whether or not Democrat ideology opposes LDS beliefs as much as Church members typically think. Regardless of political preference, it would be beneficial for Church members to look deeper than just the hot-button moral issues on both platforms.
