Here’s How Atheists Rate the Candidates

Thursday morning, the Secular Coalition for America released its Secular Values Voter Guide—a voting guide for American atheists—and gave Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump very different grades.

The SCA is a nonprofit advocacy organization made up of a coalition of 18 groups that represent atheists, agnostics, humanists, freethinkers and other “nontheistic” Americans. It is dedicated to “amplifying the diverse and growing voice of the nontheistic community in the United States.”

According to the SCA, the Secular Values Voter campaign is intended to “educate political candidates about the significant and rapidly growing secular constituency, the issues they care about, and the values for which they stand. To promote these values and protect our community and system of government, we must be active and vocal participants in the political process.”

In its assessment of the presidential candidates’ positions on eight issues “important to secularist voters,” Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, received an “A” grade, while Trump, her Republican counterpart, received an “F” grade. Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein were not graded.

According to the SCA, the grades are based only on questions for which it was able to identify the candidates’ positions—either through statements or previous actions. For each response, the candidates were given a grade of A, B, C or F.

An “A” grade earned the candidate 3 points, “B” earned 2 points, “C” earned 1 point and an “F” earned no points. The grades were then averaged for a total. N/A grades were not factored into the candidate’s score.

Here are the “questions” the candidates were graded upon:

• What best describes your view of America?
• Do you support a mutual separation between religion and government?
• Surveys indicate that there is a great deal of prejudice against the nonreligious in America. Would you have any hesitation in appointing a well-qualified nontheist candidate to a leadership position in your administration?
• Would your religious beliefs influence public health care policy as it relates to access for reproductive health care?
• Do you support comprehensive, evidence-based, and medically accurate sex education curricula in public schools?
• Do you believe religious organizations that receive government funds to provide social services should be required to comply with federal policies and regulations even if those policies conflict with the religious beliefs of the organization?
• Do you support humanist chaplains joining the Chaplaincy Corps?
• How will you further climate change policy when key congressional leaders deny the overwhelming scientific consensus that it is happening and that human activity is the primary cause?