Sarah Howe travelled to Belfast to observe the Northern Ireland Assembly Election held in May this year. In this article she reflects upon the win by Sinn Féin, breaking years of domination by Protestant unionists. However, the election also told the story of the rise of non-sectarian parties in Northern Ireland. This article will examine this trend and ask whether this means that sectarianism is on the decline, and instead economic and social issues are the main concern of voters. Sarah Howe is the National Chair of the Australian Fabians and a member of the Australian Labor Party. Charles Richardson is a Melbourne-based political philosopher and expert on European elections.