Up here in the Great White North, we have several national political parties to choose from when voting. The two most significant are the Liberals and Conservatives, who don't do much for me. I tend to vote most often with the party that is usually third in national rankings, the NDP or the New Democrats. Right now, this party's leader is Jagmeet Singh.
Jagmeet is Sikh. He practices the Sikh religion, and you can tell it means a great deal to him. And I still voted for him.
But you're an atheist, GM! How can you vote for a religious person?
Well, to put it briefly, it's because I don't give a shit.
Really, I don't care what you believe. If your platform matches my values, I will vote for you.
You see, like me, Jagmeet believes in fighting for the little guy. He wants to defend the poorest among us and ensure they have the basic necessities of life. He is pro-choice, pro-LGBTQ+, pro-universal healthcare. His platform includes the most comprehensive action, in my opinion, to fight climate change. He believes in free education, death with dignity, supporting immigrants, ending animal testing, and universal basic income. He wants to redirect some of our law-enforcement funding to pay for better mental health services and addiction treatment and decriminalize drug use. He's all for the separation of church and state.
He's the candidate I support because his platform aligns with my values. It doesn't matter to me what religion he identifies with, so long as he leaves it out of the country's business.
So, if you asked me if my atheism affects the way I vote, the answer is no. It doesn't. Not only would I vote for a Sikh man, but I have, and I've attended his rallies where I got to meet him and have my son take a photo with him (at my little guy's insistence!).
I vote based on the issues that matter to me. Of course, one of those issues is the separation of church and state, but you don't have to be an atheist to value that.
I asked you guys how you felt.
Here are some of your answers:
I would love to know how you feel? Do you think your atheism affects how you vote? Let me know in the comments!
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Interesting question! I don't think it does, for the most part. My values and beliefs are what result in my atheism and not the other way around, and it's those values and beliefs that shape my voting habits. In this case, atheism and voting habits are consequences rather than causes.