32 Million Christian Regular Churchgoers Projected to Not Vote this November
Have you already voted via absentee ballot? Or perhaps you’re waiting to proudly vote in person on Tuesday, November 5th? Or are you possibly one of the 32 million self-identified Christians who regularly attend church but won’t cast their ballots at all?
Unfortunately, according to a new national survey released 10/7/24 by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, which is led by Dr. George Barna, that statistic is a reality. The survey reveals that voter enthusiasm is significantly lower than in 2020 due in large part to “the public’s distaste for both major-party candidates”. Other reasons cited for Christians’ lack of interest in voting include public dissatisfaction with government in general and the widespread concern that the election results will be engineered by illegal, behind-the-scenes schemes and voting by illegal immigrants.
The data also reveals that a sizeable number of Christian churches (36%) don’t even want to encourage congregants to vote, and many are pointedly avoiding speaking out about key social issues that influence which candidates their parishioners will support (32%).
Dr. Barna found that “about 1 out of every 6 likely non-voters said they would probably vote if their church taught them that voting is a biblical responsibility for every Christian.” If 32 million Christians who were not planning to vote were activated by their church body to vote in November, that could potentially change the outcome of an election as the difference between Biden and Trump in 2020 was a mere 7 million votes. As Barna noted, “…the 32 million Christians sitting in the pews each week who refuse to vote are a gamechanger. It’s low hanging fruit for pastors as they try to motivate those congregants to carry out their civic duty and honor God through their influence for things that matter in our culture.”
Where is the good news in all of this? November 5th is not here yet! You still have time to encourage your friends and family to get out and vote! If you are blessed to lead a flock of believers, you still have the opportunity to spur your congregation on to activate their biblical citizenship and remind them not to take this hard-won privilege for granted. If you aren’t sure what you can safely say from the pulpit, please reference this article. Our boldness to motivate others to do their biblical duty and vote will undoubtedly impact the outcome of the 2024 election!