You can't assume that just because someone is politically and religiously liberal, then they don't share the anti-atheist bigotry which is so common in America. Such bigotry may be less common among liberals than among conservatives, but it's easy to find liberal Christians who are so full of self-righteous feelings of superiority that they dismiss atheists as having anything worth saying or contributing. This matters a lot when it comes to political elections: don't vote for anti-atheist bigots or for candidates who tacitly accept such bigotry. It's better to not vote than to actively support people who hate you.

•Does Bigotry Matter? Voting for Bigots Means Supporting Bigotry

When voters evaluate a politician, they typically look at traditional political issues like the candidate's stances on taxes, war, abortion, etc. Few inquire about a candidate's opinions about race, homosexuality, other religions, atheists, etc. We should, though, because when we vote to support a bigot we are, in effect, voting to support bigotry itself because we are putting that bigotry into a position of power over others. This is wrong even if you happen to agree with the candidate on the usual political issues because it's not possible to achieve real political or social justice through injustice, bigotry, and hate. So if political and social justice are your ultimate goals, you have to refuse to vote for bigots.

•Does Anti-Atheist Bigotry Matter?

A candidate's anti-atheist bigotry or tolerance of anti-atheist bigotry may not seem like a political "issue," but it's actually a far more fundamental matter than so many of the topics usually perceived as political issues. Bigotry towards atheists will heavily influence a candidate's position on obvious matters like church/state separation, faith-based funding, and privileging Christians. Bigotry towards atheists also tends to come with less respect for secularism, which will influence how a candidate approaches matters like abortion and gay marriage. Anti-atheist bigotry matters because we need politicians who respect secular atheists as much as religious theists and who support a secular government rather than a theocratic one.

•All Bigotry Matters, Not Just Anti-Atheist Bigotry

It's only natural if atheists are concerned first and foremost with candidates' anti-atheist bigotry, but all forms of unjust bigotry and discrimination should receive our unambiguous condemnation. We should refuse to support, help, or vote for candidates who express or support racial bigotry, homophobic bigotry, religious bigotry, and ethnic bigotry just as we refuse any support, help, or votes for candidates who express or support anti-atheist bigotry (that was not an exhaustive list, by the way). We shouldn't tolerate bigots of one sort simply because they happen to not be bigoted towards atheists; that would make us no better than the bigots themselves.

•Judge Candidates by the Company They Keep

It's not enough for political candidates themselves to be careful enough to not express personal bigotry. At higher state and national political levels, at least, no politician can fulfill the duties of their office alone: they need a staff to help them get their work done. This staff has a lot of influence on what is prioritized and what is ultimately accomplished. Politicians who tolerate bigotry in their campaign staff will tolerate it while in office, and politicians who tolerate bigotry are ultimately no better than the actual bigots. You can't claim to support the equality of some group while allowing someone who opposes that equality to help shape public policies and laws that affect them unjustly or negatively.

•No One "Deserves" Your Vote - Votes & Support Must Be Earned

Politicians should not take the votes of atheists, agnostics, humanists, and secularist for granted. This is the fastest growing "religious" demographic in America and it's a highly diverse demographic with a wide variety of social, political, philosophical, and personal beliefs. They tend to lean liberal on a lot of social and political matters, but no liberal politician "deserves" the votes of secular atheists for that reason alone. If a politician wants your vote, they need to demonstrate not only that they hold political positions you agree with but also that they do not agree with or tolerate any bigotry, hate, or discrimination directed at you and other nonbelievers. If they can't do that, then they do not deserve your vote.

•The "Lesser of Two Evils" Only Goes So Far

A common defense of voting for immoral bigots is that however immoral and bigoted they may be, they are still not as immoral, bigoted, or otherwise bad of a choice as their opponent. This argument is both a product of and a reinforcement for America's two-party political system. The only people who benefit from it are politicians of the two parties who are thereby assured of more votes. This argument may be legitimate when voting for someone who holds some positions you dislike but who is, on the whole, the best choice. This argument is not legitimate when voting for someone who agrees with or tolerates bigotry and discrimination against you. The lesser of two evils is still evil and why would you actively support evil?

•The Enemy of my Enemy is Not Always My Friend

Because anti-atheist bigotry is so common and accepted in America, it's sometimes possible to find politicians who have no compunction about expressing their bigotry outright. They not only won't apologize for it, they will in fact push it harder. Just because one politician uses or expresses anti-atheist bigotry, though, doesn't mean that their opponent will be a friend to atheists. Both candidates in the race may be bigots, but only one is mean and immoral enough to push it hard while the other may not bother expressing their bigotry unless forced to do so. The lesson here is: don't assume a politician is moral and tolerant of atheists unless they specifically and publicly say so.

•Can Any Religious Theists Be Trusted?

Given the extent of anti-atheist bigotry from liberal theists, progressive Christian, and mainstream Democrats, one obvious question is: can we really trust any religious politicians to sincerely, publicly, directly, and unambiguously reject bigotry, hate, and discrimination against atheists? I'm sad to say that I can't answer that question positively. Perhaps they exist, but can you point to a prominent Christian politician who has done so? Being liberal, kind, or politically progressive aren't signs you can trust a Christian to not be bigoted. Even private assurances aren't enough because they can be forgotten in public. So unless they are willing to make their position public and clear, treat them with suspicion and distrust.