Blog 5

Blog 5: Political Identity

By: Ben Hodson                                                                                                                                                     
October 12, 2012                                                                                                   
 PlSc 150

The quote “I’m voting for Obama and I’m Mormon” raises two interesting political questions. Is there a distinct LDS political identity here in the United States? And what does the political identity that LDS have say about the primordialists and the constructivist arguments about political identity? To answer these we will first look at some data concerning Mormon politics, and then consider whether those facts support either primordialism or constructivism.

In 2011 there was a survey taken by the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion and Public Life concerning Mormon political views. The results showed that in the United States the majority of Mormons, at 66% describe their political ideology as conservative, whereas only 8% describe their views as liberal, and 22% said their ideology was moderate.(Lee) Similarly, 74% of registered Mormon voters are Republican, or leaning that way, compared to 17% leaning more towards the Democrats.(Lee) This shows that there is a large majority of LDS members who prefer the Republican Party to the Democratic Party. It is very interesting to compare these numbers to those of non-Mormons. As of 2012, 30% of Americans registered to vote are included in the Republican Party and 44% of Americans are in the Democratic Party.(McDonald) When you compare the numbers between the Mormons and non-Mormons it is easy to see that there is at least somewhat of a political identity for Mormons, and it leans towards the Republican side.

In the textbook “Comparative Politics” there are very clear arguments given for both the primordialist and constructivist point of views. The primordialists argue that “political identities are innate and largely unchangeable” and constructivist argue that individuals have more of a choice over their political identities.(Samuels) I think that the fact that there are such a large number of LDS members who support the Republicans over the Democrats definitely strengthens the argument of the constructivists. Religion is a cultural and stable thing, which backs up the statement that political identities are innate and unchangeable. However, there are also several facts that disprove the argument of constructivism in this case. One fact is that LDS members are able to choose whichever party they want to. The leaders of the Church have consistently stated that the Church takes no official stand in politics.(Newsroom) Meaning that it is up to the members to choose for themselves which party they want to support. Another fact that disproves the constructivist argument is the history of LDS politics. In its earlier history, as Utah was just being recognized as a state the majority of LDS members in Utah supported liberal rather than conservatives.(Wotherspoon) This runs contrary to the constructivist theory that political identity cannot be changed, over the years Mormon political views have gone from one side of the spectrum all the way to the other.

In conclusion, it is very clear that presently in the United States there is a more Republican identity among LDS members. They are registered in greater numbers as Republicans, and they tend to vote more often in support of Republican views.  As far as whether this political identity supports either of the arguments given in the textbook is more unclear. I would argue that it does not fully support either one. The fact that there is an identity based on a religious group certainly supports the constructivist, but the fact that there is complete freedom of choice given by the Church leaders concerning party affiliation, and in the past the majority if LDS supported liberal thinking counters this constructivist argument.

Works Cited:

Lee, MJ. Politico, 2012. Web. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71362.html

McDonald, Michael. Pollister.com, 2010. Web. http://www.pollster.com/blogs/voter_registration_trends_may.php?nr=1

Newsroom, 2012. Intellectual Reserve. Web. http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/official-statement/political-neutrality

Samuels, David. “Comparative Politics” 2013. Print.

Wotherspoon, Dan. Mormon Matters, 2012. Web. http://mormonmatters.org/2012/09/12/125-126-mormonism-and-politics-historical-perspectives/