Although many political experts consider voters to be “floating without party loyalties” and without a religious belief that influences their voting habits, a new University of Missouri study found that — despite declining church attendance in western democracies — religion still has a large impact on how people vote and helps define many of the platforms represented in the party system. Chris Raymond, a graduate instructor of political science at UM, compared church attendance to other categories such as income, union membership and education and found that religion still matters for a sizable number of voters