Nonbelievers took over the transportation system in the nation’s capital for two weeks leading up to the June 4 Reason Rally.
Capitol Hill employees rode to work in commuter buses wrapped with a giant message stating, “I’m an Atheist and I Vote.” Downtown commuters who drove or rode Capital BikeShare were greeted by illuminated kiosk ads featuring young, millennial atheist voters. FFRF placed ads on 40 bikeshare kiosks and 20 Metro Light street signs, plus two D.C. commuter buses.
The ads were part of FFRF’s campaign to highlight the exploding secular voting demographic in advance of the Reason Rally and the June 14 presidential primary in the District of Columbia. The ads ran from May 23 through June 6.
“We blanketed the District with images of young secular voters, to show the faces of the fastest-growing voter demographic in America,” says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. “While the Religious Right is hemorrhaging numbers and influence, secular support is skyrocketing, with 20 million new people on our side of the aisle since Barack Obama was first elected. Our leaders needed to see our presence and hear our priorities.”
The bus and kiosk ads were part of FFRF’s campaign to engage millions of nonreligious voters and ensure the voices of the fastest-growing minority group in America are heard in the 2016 presidential election.
FFRF has been working with its 23,800 members, 20 chapters across America and through secular student alliances to encourage supporters to register to vote, participate in influencing public policy and make a secular voice heard.
FFRF recently released a survey of nearly 8,000 members that showed 96 percent are registered to vote — more than 20 percent higher than the population at large. Respondents listed abortion rights, civil rights, women’s rights, environmental protection and marriage equality among their top concerns, in addition to separation of state and church.
