As I drove past what seemed like the one-millionth Harris-Walz sign on my way to school, an interesting question popped into my head: why is LM so liberal?
While most people at LM acknowledge this as a fact of life—especially during election season—rarely have I seen an explanation for it outside of “Well, we live in a very progressive area.” It has gotten to the point where I believe almost no one really knows why. And even less discussed is the effect this has had on our very own students and their families.
To many who have only ever lived in a liberal community, the almost 50-50 split that exists between the Republican and Democratic voters nationwide can seem alien. This might be due to the fact that in 2020, according to the Montgomery County Voter Registration Statistic Book, for every Republican that registered to vote in Lower Merion Township, there were almost three Democrats.
One possible reason for this disparity is the connection between Democrats and public education. According to a survey conducted in 2023 by the Pew Research Center, 72 percent of Democrats believed K-12 public schools are having a positive effect on the country, while just 37 percent of Republicans thought the same. The LMSD School Board is composed of all Democrats, while the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners consists of 13 Democrats and just one Republican.
These groups make some of the most important decisions regarding public education in the Township, meaning LMSD leans very liberal as a whole. This is likely one of the reasons so many liberals flock to our community, as they seek a place where education is at the forefront of political policy and is treated as a critical issue.
This affinity for education can also be seen in graduation rates for each party. Since 1999, the percentage of registered Democrats 25 years or older that held a four-year college degree has risen from just 23 percent to an impressive 48 percent, according to the Survey Center on American Life. In the same survey, the data shows that the percentage of Republicans with a college degree has remained near-constant at 30 percent over the past 25 years.
Furthermore, there are 63 colleges within a 20-mile radius of Lower Merion Township, increasing the accessibility of higher level education and attracting more liberals. Schools in the Township such as Harcum College, Haverford College, Saint Joseph’s University and Bryn Mawr College are respected institutions that contribute to the highly educated population of Lower Merion Township.
Another likely explanation for LM’s liberal demographic is its location right outside of Philadelphia—by far the largest Democratic stronghold of Pennsylvania. Lower Merion Township makes for an attractive suburb for successful Democrats moving in from the city in search of a safe and highly respected community.
According to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, as of October 21, nearly 800,000 Democrats have registered to vote in Philadelphia, as opposed to only 131,600 Republicans. While these numbers are not final as many voters may have waited until closer to the election to register, they still reflect the overwhelming majority of Democrats near our area. It is only expected that this should flow into our own community and further boost the number of liberals in LM.
This pattern is reflected when looking at the other areas surrounding Philadelphia. Townships like Norristown, Conshohocken, Abington, Willow Grove and others all lean blue. The only exception to this is Bucks County, who made numerous Pennsylvania headlines concerning the presence of the Republican group “Moms for Liberty.” However, in actuality the county is split nearly 50-50 between the two parties, and Democrats actually flipped the school board in their favor a year ago.
Some LM residents think there are positives to LM’s politically homogenous community, like creating a more culturally-accepting community. Regarding LM’s diversity, Ellenice Delgado-Quiles ’25, believes “they could do more, but I do think they do a relatively good job here at least considering my demographic (Latina).”
This statement certainly seems valid, as in LMSD, about 66 percent of the students are white, according to U.S. News Education. This is similar to the national percentage of 71 percent, and LM does differentiate itself with its commitment to welcoming students from all walks of life—culture clubs such as Jewish Culture Club, Black Student Union and others are prime examples of this acceptance. Furthermore, classes like African-American Voices in Literature teach the importance of diverse contributions to society.
Our school also makes an effort to advocate for an “anti-racist curriculum,” an idea that is traditionally considered liberal. In 2021 during a school board meeting, when asked if our district taught critical race theory, former LMSD School Board Vice President Melissa Gilbert responded, “While critical race theory as legal theory, and what subsequently came after that, is not being taught in our schools per se as critical race theory, I do think we have an anti-racist curriculum.”
But while some resident’s see positives, others have found, such an overwhelming majority of one belief can also be damaging in some ways to the community. Max Shore ’26, who considers himself to be a liberal and is part of the Jewish community at LM, believes that this majority “creates a kind of a bubble around the school that makes it more difficult to understand and empathize with other perspectives.”
In an environment that is dominated by liberals, it can become easy to dismiss any other beliefs that disagree with the majority. Ethan Quan ’25, who identifies as a conservative and is a registered republican, commented that “if I don’t say anything, I’ll be fine, but if I were to disagree with them (liberals), I wouldn’t be looked at the same way. Even a slight disagreement can be a lot.”
Quan later specified he was not voting for Trump in the upcoming election and he is “by no means the average conservative.” However, he cited a specific incident that occurred during the activities fair at the Conservative Club signups: “There were a lot of people who would be like ‘Trump, Trump, Trump’ and write Trump 2024 on our sign-up sheets…It’s a lot more of a stereotype that a lot of people impose on conservatives at LM.”
There appears to be a common assumption at LM that people who don’t necessarily agree with traditionally liberal views are automatically flag-waving, conspiracist MAGA followers. However, it’s important to remember that political alignment is a very wide spectrum, and people don’t have to fall into one extreme or the other. Such abrasive generalizations have to be avoided if any meaningful discussion is to be achieved. As Quan put it, “Until [AP Government], I didn’t really have any opportunities to have meaningful discussion—most people only wanted to hear a certain thing and discussions were very one-sided.”
In any area where one ideology persists throughout its population, anyone who considers themselves different is likely to face some form of discrimination or hate for their views. In an ideal world, we accept all perspectives equally in order to create interesting and important discussion. While this may seem unachievable in today’s politically-charged society, it’s imperative to recognize every little effort makes a difference. As the nature of politics has grown increasingly polarized and aggressive, it is more important than ever to treat others with civility and empathy.
