Blog 5

There is a distinct LDS political identity in the United States that tends toward social and fiscal conservatism. This identity is partly primordial, in that our political identity is a result of our kinship bonds with fellow Mormons, and partly constructivist in that these political identities are not set for life. According to David Samuels, Primordialist theory states that we are born with tendencies toward certain identities and that our relationships help forge already “imprinted” ideas (160). These ideas cannot be changed. Conversely, constructivism argues that our political identities can be changed and says that the “competition for power” and societal changes are the cause for these changes (160). In the case of the LDS church, our ideas are malleable, as constructivists’ argue, but those ideas are rooted in the bonds we share with fellow members; we’re more likely to vote with those who are most like us.

Most Mormons share the same general Republican Party ideals; according to a 2012 Pew poll, seventy-four percent of Mormons self-identify with Republicans. Data suggests that even Mormon Democrats are more likely to lean towards the Republican side, evidencing a more solid political identity. Utahdatapoints writer Quin Monson reports that while only twenty three percent of Democrats view Republican Mitt Romney favorably, forty two percent of Mormon Democrats view Republican Mitt Romney favorably, showing closer ties between Mormon Republicans and Democrats than between non-Mormon Republicans and Democrats. The most likely explanation for this political identity is the shared religion and sense of solidarity.

This political identity is rooted in religious solidarity and kinship bonds, and thus it is subject to change; indeed it has changed. According to the Joseph Smith Papers, after the beleaguered Saints arrived in Quincy, Illinois in the middle of winter, the Democratic Association of Quincy provided them with such selfless service that Joseph Smith declared that the church would vote for Democratic candidates as a way to say thank you. Even though they adopted more Mormon-centric parties, they generally voted together. 

The church voted together until the late eighteen hundreds when they were trying to become a state and found difficulty due to the fact that they were mainly a one party state. Mormon Historian Susan Black related that members of the church were divided up randomly at this point and told who to vote for. If the LDS political identity was completely a result of primordialism, the voters would have been unable to make the abrupt change and vote for a completely different party, which was not the case. LDS voters are good at meshing constructivist and primordialist theories together; changing the Mormon identity is possible, but that change and ensuing identity is built on the religious bonds forged between members of the church. .

Mormons in the United States undeniably vote as a bloc, but the party the majority of Mormons voted for has changed historically. We vote together and share a defined LDS political identity because we live in the same country and share distinct religious and kinship-based bonds that mean we will likely vote together on whatever side we’ve fallen on.

Sources: 

Khan, Huma. "Pew Survey: Majority of Mormons Lean Republican; Half Cite Discrimination Against Their Faith." ABC News. ABC News Network, 12 Jan. 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/01/pew-survey-most-mormons-feel-they-are-misunderstood-not-viewed-as-mainstream/>.

Monson, Quin. "Do LDS Dems like Mitt Romney?" Utah Data Points. N.p., 22 Aug. 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://utahdatapoints.com/>.

"Quincy, Illinois." Quincy, Illinois. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2012. <http://josephsmithpapers.org/place/quincy-illinois>.

Samuels, David J. Comparative Politics. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, 2013. Print.