Do Amish Vote? Republican or Democrat?
Do Amish people vote for president? What about other elections? This question comes up every two-to-four years. And it has to do, in part, with Pennsylvania and Ohio – traditionally two important political swing states (and lately, mainly PA). They’re also the states with the two largest Amish populations.
Do Amish vote? Short answer: some Amish do vote, but most Amish people do not vote. Only a small number of Amish cast ballots in presidential elections (likely less than 10%). Amish are more likely to get involved when voting on issues which directly affect them.
Despite the fact that relatively few Amish go to the polls, political operatives have for years viewed the Amish as a source of potential votes.
- Why most Amish people don’t vote
- How many Amish vote?
- Do Amish run for political office?
- One time Amish when did vote – sort of
- Do Amish support Republicans or Democrats?
- Who votes among the Amish?
- How do Amish vote without photo ID?
- How do Amish follow politics?
- Conclusion
- Amish & Government: Related topics
So let’s explore why most Amish do not vote, and a few efforts that have been made to “get out the Amish vote” – and how they turned out. Also, we’ll take a look at which type of person is more likely to vote among the Amish – and of course, which political party Amish tend to vote for – Republican, Democrat, or something else?
Why most Amish people don’t vote
Why do Amish people vote in only limited numbers? They generally have a low voter turnout for a few reasons. For many Amish, voting conflicts with both their religious beliefs and cultural norms.
And like a lot of things, this is going to vary by the community. In some communities, a minority of Amish do vote. Voting is typically not prohibited outright, and the decision to vote is left to the individual in most congregations.
How many Amish vote?
By “minority”, this would mean 10% or less of the adult voting-eligible Amish population can be expected to vote. So that would be much less than the 60% typical turnout that you see among non-Amish Americans. And in some communities, virtually no Amish are going to vote. So why don’t Amish vote in the same numbers that non Amish do? There are three main reasons why.
1. Two Kingdoms
For one, Amish follow a “Two Kingdoms” theology. This is a belief that there exist both a material and a spiritual kingdom. In other words, God’s Kingdom (the heavenly kingdom), and Man’s kingdom. While respecting worldly governments, Amish feel that Christians should adhere to the laws of the spiritual kingdom – above all.
According to Two Kingdoms theology, Amish are most concerned with the laws and rules of God’s Kingdom. That’s where they want to end up – heaven. So obeying those laws (you can include matters of conscience and belief here) is going to be more important to them than obeying the laws and norms of Man’s Kingdom.
This doesn’t mean they disrespect the rules of man’s kingdom. They feel they should generally respect the laws. Amish are highly law-abiding. Usually, the laws of the two kingdoms align pretty well (though not always). That said, they view the material kingdom as worldly, and traditionally limit interaction within it.
Amish, on the whole, abide by the law. But they also feel they should keep their distance from “the world”. Voting – the act of selecting political leaders, who make decisions on things like using force and going to war (the Amish are a nonresistant people) – is something that ties Amish closer into the world, into man’s kingdom.
2. Practicality
Additionally, voting in national elections for candidates who enact a wide array of laws in distant Washington may be seen by some Amish as an abstract endeavor. This is one reason that local elections concerning tangible issues may receive a greater response from Amish.
The Amish are highly practical people, and can be considered a “face-to-face” culture. The idea of voting for a local known political candidate to address issues in their immediate communities may appeal to some Amish more than supporting national candidates.
3. Nonresistance
Another key principle here is that a lot of Amish believe that voting for candidates that might use force would violate their principles of nonresistance, which is the belief of the Amish that they should not inflict violence against other people.
This is why Amish do not serve in the military, or on police forces. It’s also why they traditionally do not initiate lawsuits, because that’s also viewed as a form of legal force.
Do Amish hold political office?
So given the above, Amish may hesitate to take part in electing a politician who may use force as an agent of the state. Amish do not run for political office themselves, for similar reasons. Representatives of the state may be required to use force in the form of deploying military or bringing lawsuits, which the Amish find objectionable.
Additionally, the act of running for political office – requiring you to promote yourself and denigrate the opposing candidate – also runs counter to Amish values of humility and modesty. So don’t expect to see an Amish President, senator, or other public official anytime soon.
Amish Voting – One example
Some Amish individuals have a different stance on voting in some places, especially the larger, more progressive communities. In these more business-oriented communities you’re going to see Amish who feel that it’s okay to vote.
The Amish are not a uniform body. Even though they may look alike, there are different norms and standards in different churches. On top of this, Amish people are individuals. Generally, the choice to vote is left up to the individual. Some churches might have prohibitions on voting in their Ordnung (church standards), though most do not. And there have definitely been some exceptions or special cases.
One of the most noteworthy examples of Amish and voting came in the 2004 election – George Bush versus John Kerry. We can look at the example of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
This was a case where a local political operative with ties to the Amish – who had actually been born into an Amish family, and spoke Pennsylvania Dutch – was part of efforts to get the Amish to vote in that election for George Bush. Bush attempted to tap into Amish interest when he visited both Lancaster County and Holmes County, Ohio during his re-election campaign to ask for Amish and Mennonite support.
More on that election in a moment. But first, which political party most resonates with the Amish?
Do Amish vote Republican or Democrat?
Which political party do Amish support? Traditionally, when they do vote, the Amish tend to vote Republican – overwhelmingly Republican.
That’s because the Amish align more with the conservative values traditionally associated with the Republican party. These would include, for example, the view that the party is more of a faith-oriented party, that it represents smaller government, lower taxes, and so on.
These are all things that appeal to the Amish. In a study on Amish voting by Donald Kraybill and Kyle Kopko, they wrote that some Old Orders occasionally joked that even if they did not vote Republican, they prayed Republican!
To take another example, in the book An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World’s Largest Amish Community, the authors noted that an Old Order Amish man used to joke that he could count the Amish who supported Democrats on one hand.
So while the Amish vote in low numbers, they can still support a given party, either silently or vocally. In summary, Amish have been called “armchair Republicans”, and are seen to be more sympathetic to the Republican party. Support for the Democratic party is rare among Amish.
The Amish & Bush vs. Gore
There were a lot of efforts done to rally support among the Amish for George Bush in the 2004 election in Lancaster County. In particular, Bush as a candidate actually visited Lancaster County on a number of occasions, and even met with Amish people there. He did the same in Holmes County, Ohio, home to the second-largest Amish community.
An Amish Paradox authors Hurst and McConnell report that in 2004, 43% of Holmes County Amish were registered to vote, though only 13% did so, with most selecting Bush (An Amish Paradox, Hurst and McConnell, p 267). So the upshot there was that in the end, you only had about 13% of the Amish adult population voting there.
That that would be higher than what you’d expect in a typical election for the Amish. But of course it’s not anything approaching the numbers that you’d see among the non-Amish.
How have Amish responded in later elections? Anecdotally, in 2008 at least one correspondent found decreased enthusiasm for John McCain‘s presidential campaign. A perception that a candidate endorses war can diminish appeal among Amish. Another, more recent example was the Amish PAC, and the campaigns of Donald Trump.
The Amish PAC & Donald Trump
The Amish Political Action Committee (Amish PAC) emerged in 2016 to try to similarly rally support for candidate Donald Trump. Despite it’s name, the Amish PAC was not organized by the Amish, but again by non-Amish with ties to the community.
This effort used outreach such as advertisements in publications read by the Amish, through billboards and traditional media, in order to try to encourage a vote for Donald Trump. The ads pitched Trump as a practical businessman, with a strong family life, who abstained from alcohol. Ads emphasized his stance on abortion and his work ethic. These were all points which would appeal to an Amish audience.
The Amish PAC was active in 2016, in 2018 in the midterms, and again in 2020. As a part of this outreach, Donald Trump had a number of Amish businesspeople visit the White House in late 2019. The Amish group included eight businesspeople, hailing from Pennsylvania and from Ohio. Was the personal outreach effective? One of the Amishmen who met with President Trump reached out to me after this visit, expressing his enthusiasm about the visit, and the president. The idea no doubt was to create some “evangelists” among the Amish, to help raise support back home.
But did the Amish PAC make a difference, in terms of motivating Amish to vote? Another study by Kyle Kopko suggests that the Amish PAC had only a minimal impact in the 2016 election – although Kopko notes that the Amish PAC certainly didn’t hurt.
In the end, we can conclude that it’s difficult to convince significant numbers of Amish to vote when their cultural norms and general belief system are aligned against the idea of voting. But that doesn’t stop people from trying.
Who votes among the Amish?
So in the limited cases when they do vote, who typically votes among the Amish?
In the majority of cases, it’s men voting among the Amish (though Amish women can vote in theory, and some do). When it comes to an “Amish voter profile”, these Amish voters tend to be younger Amish men involved in business. They would generally be in the more progressive and larger communities. Donald Kraybill notes that in the Lancaster County, Pennsylvania community, “Those who vote tend to be younger businessmen with an interest in community affairs” (The Riddle of Amish Culture, Kraybill p 275).
If there’s an issue of local interest – like voting on zoning issues, for example, where the outcome of the vote can directly impact how their communities, farms, and businesses can develop, they’re going to be more likely to vote in those types of elections than in the larger national ones.
How do Amish vote without photo ID?
You may have heard that Amish don’t like to have their photos taken, due to religious objections. So how do they vote if they don’t have a photo ID?
If an Amish person doesn’t have a photo ID, they may be able to provide alternative identification. This process can vary based on the state and jurisdiction. To take the example of Ohio, an Amish person who objects to photo identification would complete an Affidavit of Religious Objection form. This will include the last four digits of their Social Security number along with their name and signature. The elections board then verifies that the person in fact has no photo ID and the vote is counted.
States with significant Amish populations or other groups with religious objections to photos typically make provisions for non-photo IDs as well, which can be used for voting. For example, Virginia, a state with a growing Amish population, passed legislation providing for such non-photo IDs in 2019.
However, the size of this issue may be overblown. That’s because it’s a misconception that all Amish don’t have photo identification. Some Amish accept this type of photography, which is intended for a practical purpose (personal identification).
These will tend to be the more progressive Amish people. And the Amish who actually do vote, tend to be among the more progressive as well. So in some, or even many cases, Amish who wish to vote may actually already possess a photo ID. For those who do not, there are ways to vote without it depending on the state, including using non-photo identification.
Do Amish follow politics?
There’s one thing you may still be wondering – just how do Amish people learn about elections and political issues? Aren’t they mostly isolated from “the world”? Well, many Amish people certainly read the newspaper (some get a local daily paper), and some keep up with politics. In fact, some have quite strong opinions on political matters – even if they don’t end up voting themselves.
Amish people may also hear, for example, talk radio when they are traveling in a car driven by a non-Amish driver or employee. That time in the vehicle going back-and-forth between home and a jobsite is a chance where they discuss politics, hear the news, and hear the opinions of their non-Amish coworkers or drivers.
So the Amish can be influenced as well by the non-Amish individuals in their communities and work or social circles – just like any people.
The elusive Amish vote
Though voting is not common among the Amish, some Amish follow political news and many have and share opinions on politics and politicians. It’s fairly well-known that they tend to support conservative values. This, plus the fact that there are large Amish populations in two historical swing states – Pennsylvania and Ohio – has meant they have drawn interest from political operatives every two to four years. However, while some elections have seen varied Amish turnout, Amish voting has never approached anything near national levels – and it’s unlikely to ever do so.
However, this won’t necessarily prevent politicians and their helpers from seeking the Amish vote. Especially when it comes to presidential politics, their large and growing presence in two of the country’s largest states, I believe will continue to entice attempts to get out the Amish vote in future elections. Though Ohio has been less competitive in recent elections, becoming more reliably Republican, Pennsylvania remains a perennial “toss-up” state with a large number of electoral votes.
But I don’t expect that you’re going to see much dramatic change when it comes to what potential percentage of Amish will actually vote. That noted, you will have a larger and a larger potential voter population among the Amish in those states, due to the very high Amish growth rate. So it may continue to be worth the effort to try to get the Amish to the polls.
The Amish & Government
A look at some related topics: the Amish relationship to the government and civic society is not as straightforward as it is for most non-Amish people. As with voting, here are several more areas where Amish ways sometimes differ with those of non-Amish society.
The Amish & Taxes
Do the Amish pay taxes? The short answer is yes – for the most part, they do. However there are some exceptions (Social Security is the main one). Do they ever accept government assistance? Generally no, though there have been exceptions there as well. Read more on the Amish & taxes.
The Amish & the Military
Do Amish serve in the armed forces, or on police forces? Due to their religious beliefs in nonresistance, rooted in Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, the Amish do not endorse using force against other humans. This also means they do not initiate lawsuits (legal force) against others. Nonresistance (or non-resistance) is similar to, but not the same as, pacifism. More on the Amish & nonresistance.
The Amish & Photo ID
Do the Amish use photo identification? Generally, Amish do not permit or encourage posed photography. This can prevent them from acquiring a photo ID. So when it comes to situations where they need identification (voting, international travel, etc.), they can run into problems. Some states have made allowances for this. Some Amish do not have a problem with photo IDs. More on the Amish and photography.
Do Amish follow the law?
For the most part, Amish are a law-abiding, low-crime population. When Amish individuals or communities do conflict with the law, it tends to draw extra attention, in part due to the nature of the Amish as a community so unlike mainstream society. Certain Amish groups have violated laws concerning safety triangles on buggies (Kentucky 2011), smoke detectors in homes (Wisconsin 2015), and sales of raw milk (Pennsylvania 2012), to name a few.
One noteworthy, precedent-setting conflict concerned schooling, which eventually led to the landmark Wisconsin v. Yoder Supreme Court decision (1972) which enabled Amish to limit their children’s formal education to eight grades. Amish people have also certainly broken the law on an individual level. The most publicized cases have concerned abuse within families and communities.
Are the Amish patriotic?
The Amish do not display the American flag, nor do they recite the Pledge of Allegiance in their schools. Amish do appreciate the freedoms, religious and otherwise, allowed them in the United States (as well as Canada). As a people with Two Kingdoms beliefs (as detailed above), they focus more on the heavenly kingdom that they hope to attain.
That noted, Amish people are individuals, and you might come across Amish who more eagerly express patriotic sentiments. Additionally, in some communities Amish attend Independence Day celebrations, to take one example.
For more, see:
- The Riddle of Amish Culture, Donald B. Kraybill
- An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World’s Largest Amish Community, Charles E. Hurst and David L. McConnell
- Kraybill, Donald B., and Kyle C. Kopko, “Bush Fever: Amish and Old Order Mennonites in the 2004 Election.” Mennonite Quarterly Review 81 (April 2007): 165-205.
- “Amish PAC returns for 2018 election as new study reveals its impact in 2016”, Lancaster Online, Sam Janesch, Sep 22, 2018
Get the Amish to the Polls
With the ever intruding central Government. I believe it to be in the Amish’s best interest to get out and vote for Ron Paul. No other candidate will protect their constitutional freedoms. No more masked men with guns raiding family dairy farms.
I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 1 Timothy 2:1-2
I guess Amish know the truth of the matter — prayers count more in the end than votes.
Amish Voting
I have a problem with Amish voting since they believe in non resistence, (which I don’t have a problem with)voting in the very system you refuse to defend is not right.
Response to Lester
Lester Mast – – – it sounds like you’re saying you’d like to deny American citizens their right to vote based on their religion?
There are people who are not Amish who believe in non resistence and they vote.
Amish do Vote
When the polls open around Lancaster County, PA area, Many Amish are seen to vote. I remember my father voting in the 40s would always vote Republican. He was usually taken to the voting site by an “English” friend who also was active in the precinct to “Get Out The Vote”. No longer Amish, I have always maintained a conservative approach to politics and became pro-active in the voting process within my precinct of residence by being elected as a precinct office holder and state delegate to the SC State Republican Convention.
response to Lester Mast
As a soldier of 22 yrs, I feel the same way about the cowards who support wars, but have a boatload of weak excuses for not joining the military to defend their country.
How about women?
If you don’t know, the Mennonites and Amish, at least the ones I know do not allow their women to vote. I was raised by a single mom, who was a conservative Democrat. So I learned to take care of doing everything and being self sufficient from her. However, she was NOT a feminist. She didn’t believe men and women had the same strength and ability for really physical things, and therefore, she , and I did not, do not believe in women in combat. They were shown at West Point to not have the power and strength to carry an injured man out of danger if the occasion should arise. Very few women were able to handle the physical demands of military life. Now in the days of the WACs, there were many jobs women could do, but they were kept separate from the men, and I sgree with that. The coed thing has caused WAY too many problems. I used to work fotr the mess hall contractor in the town I moved to, and there were very few women, but for the exception of one, (the Chaplain’s assistant), they all were pregnant within a few months of being stationed there. That is pretty distracting and pretty useless in times of combat.
When I was taking Anatomy and Physiology, my textbook said the Westpoint studies showed that 50% of a woman’s weight was strength. And 90% of a man’s weight was strength. I’m not sure how they did the math, but it did give us a good idea about why men are put into these demanding positions rather than women. Men’s stength also is faster and more powerful and in the upper body, whole women are stronger in the legs and are better for endurance. It always made me mad that I had such a hard time pulling the cord on a generator, whiole a man just whips it once and it’s going. And I was at the time, a quite strong woman, though not great of build. I know my limits. We aren’t all Black Widow or Wonder Woman, though it seems a lot of faminists think they are.
Another thing to consider is the mental state of women. I think we’re fine to vote as long as we aren’t sucked in by Marxist ideology, but Trump has placed a lot of good smart women in positions of authority and many have done a good job but dropped out “for the family
“. But what I think this means is that we just aresn’t designed, yes I do mean designed, by God, to take a constant barrage of criticism, and jabs, and hatefulness. And it’s easier for men to shrug that off but it’s not so easy for women. We burn out easier. I guess that’s why men have their cave time and we don’t , like Mark Gungor says, our brains are going all the time. It does help us to talk it out with friends, but maybe these women can’t due to classified information.
something to say
I concur that Amish shouldn’t participate in voting and yes for their religious beliefs.
You can’t be a true man or woman of Christ who believes in Christ words advocating NONviolence and vote whatsoever in an organization which uses violence to enforce it’s laws, as well as fight in wars promoting its country’s pride- which is contradicting to Glassenheit- “humility”- no offense to any military subjects which have the right to choose what they believe.
In all honesty, people shouldn’t be forced to vote either or be looked down because they don’t choose to.
Some people serve higher laws- God’s laws- and are at constant struggle to live accordingly, when patriotic or judgmental people who do not allow them to do so, promote punishment for people of peace who have no exemption from the worldly law.
A day when a government can operate through peace in all things is when voting won’t be shunned by any living being (Unless you just don’t want peace), but by then who’d need to vote?
Jesus was not a pacifist
I believe that Jeaus does love us all and is the one true way to salvation. I do not subscribe that he was a pacifist. He boldly drove the money changers from the church! He was a soldier! The Amish have every right to vote whether they fight or not….
Was Jesus a pacifist
When he sent the disciples out one time he told them to take their swords , another he said to leave them behind. On the last night he told them one was enough. Obvious to me, Jesus believed in their protecting themselves, and likely each other.
Matthew 5:38-39 comes to mind….
Why did Jesus tell His disciples to buy a sword?
In Luke 22, Jesus tells his disciples to buy a sword. Why would He say this if they were never meant to defend themselves, with violence even? Other times it is obvious that the Sword and the dounble edged sword is the Word of God, and Jesus Himself is the Logos, the Word, and the sword comes out of His mouth. This is not talking about that. This is a physical sword. But why?
In Luke 3 (14) John the Baptist is preaching about various rules of right and wrong, and it’s amazing these people didn;t know this stuff since they had the scriptures, or maybe then they had to rely on the preists, but ; “14And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.” At no pojnt did John the Baptist tell them to give up their day job (soldier) and quit working for the government. They were never told to give up their swords and go nonviolent. In the use of soldiers and their duties, they are supposed to be for the defense of the country or kingdom or whatever. But in those days they were our police. But John is basically telling them to be fair. Quit abusing folks. Use your brain. Well there are a LOT of self defense verses, and mind you, we believe Christ Himself wrote all the Bible, though by inspiration into men.
Luke 11:21 – When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
Exodus 22:2-3 – If a thief be found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, [there shall] no blood [be shed] for him. (Read More…)
Luke 22:36 – Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take [it], and likewise [his] scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one.
1 Timothy 5:8 – But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
Proverbs 25:26 – A righteous man falling down before the wicked [is as] a troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring.
Psalms 144:1 – ([A Psalm] of David.) Blessed [be] the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, [and] my fingers to fight:
Romans 12:19 – Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Nehemiah 4:17-18 – They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, [every one] with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other [hand] held a weapon. (Read More…)
Romans 13:4 – For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to [execute] wrath upon him that doeth evil.
Mark 3:27 – No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.
Reply
John told the soldiers “Do no violence”.
People in military
I spent 23yrs in military I feel if you’re heart isn’t in to the military then you will bring the moral of the rest of the soldiers down these journalists that never served has no business of haveing a optioning on rather burg fall should have been traded do 5 terrorists I am not taking up for him but there is always reasoning for action we could be watching those 5 terrorist for intelligence we do not leave any body behind
Hello Dan! Trying to understand your actual text….., how could anyone bring the rest of a military man moral down if he is fully fixed on being a military man? And if there is room for any persuasion, I wouldn’t this imply that that particular soldier may need to reevaluate? Obviously, they are in an internal conflict and to some magnitude are actually inviting themselves to other options.
I agree journalist should no power of persuasion when they aren’t militaryman, just as I feel that people who are solely businessman and councilman shouldn’t have a say in combat if they’ve never combated and are not combaters; as well as, I feel lawmakers should refrain from making laws who have never been through the things which they make laws of- and finally, people should not be judges of an man, woman or child who simply is not going through what that man, woman or child is or is going through. However, this has been the way of the world- the heel over head and everyone wants to justify or moreless defend what they do to be right, instead of clearly seeing and knowing the wrong and putting an end to it. And with no offense, we all have opinions… I do not know of the terrorist news you speak of, I am not versed in global news; however, the judgment in this country, as well others that people hold is absolutely not being resolved when we are constantly worried about life in ways which never bring and promote life.
Where there is no love, there is hate and where there is violence there is no peace. Love conquerors and forgives all and it is best exhibited thru nonviolence towards one another let alone ourselves. If we are going to object anything- I believe we ought to object it peacefully, with assertiveness and with love guiding us to the righteousness. I am not suggesting that soldiers are undone, just the government’s which make soldiers of God ungodly men. The moral of that type of soldier will never be put down.
Conscientious objectors
There used to be a place for Conscientious Objectors, they would be medics or they would be kitchen staff or they would do paperwork or whatever. They still were put to work, but it wouldn’t be combat. And back in the days of WWII, my mentor WWII vet friend told me, they only had a 15% shoot rate. Most men were conditioned not to kill, and that was why they came up withthe video games with shooting, because it was able to increase the shoot rate. And now we see what we have done with our kids. Now many adults. They think nothing of killing others. I don’t think that’s a good thing.
There was also this guy; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Doss I’m sure there were others.
PLEASE Help Stop Unnecessary Abortions
Please realize we all have a rare opportunity NOW to greatly help stop unnecessary abortions, especially late term abortion, by securing a pro-life Supreme Court judge. There have been over 30,000,000 abortions so far this year https://www.worldometers.info/abortions/
Some are even trying to make it legal to kill babies who survive abortions, “In light of the radical trend that started with the signing of the Reproductive Health Act by Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.), allowing abortion through all stages of pregnancy and removing explicit protections for babies born alive following a failed abortion, there is renewed urgency to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act.” https://www.nrlc.org/federal/bornaliveinfants/nrlc-scorecard-letter-on-born-alive-abortion-survivors-protection-act-s-311/
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REGISTER TO VOTE AND VOTE IN PERSON IF POSSIBLE PRO LIFE PEOPLE IN OFFICE THIS NOVEMBER!
eye roll
Kill babies that survive abortions?
Yeah I’m sure that’s happening.
Yup
Yup, that actually is a thing that is happening. Sad, but true.
Voting
As I understand it – thousands of Amish, with only an 8th grade education could conceivably choose the president of the United States by deciding to vote for the candidate their leaders support?
Wow – you don’t have to follow the laws, don’t have to defend the country, but can help choose our political leaders! How is that still a thing?
Education is overrated today!!!
I am educated but believe some of the most educated people have the least amount of common sense. I worked at a University for many years and at one point with the gifted. They are brilliant, but when it comes to social issues, they are lacking much. And another argument; just look at all these college kids who cannot accept that they lost the election and are missing classes and claim to be “traumatized” by the outcome. While they are learned, they don’t have a clue about the world. Which leads to another issue that I won’t start; parenting!
Have you seen the work and spelling of highschoolers today?
I worked in a school district in the 90’s and I was in school in the 60’s and 70’s. We had better language education, we had better math, though i later learned some vedic math and was impressed. We learned more history. BUT the one I count the most is my mother who taught me phonics at 3 and had my reading comprehension to at least the 3rd grade level by the time I entered kindergarten. I had a 12th grade reading comprehension by 6th grade. I dropped out to avoid the sex, drugs and alcohol pressure of High school (14) and by then mom was taking us to pick our own textbooks at the Goodwill for 10 cents. I chose Latin, zoology, biology, Greek history, medical terminology, etc. i picked them because they looked interesting and i loved to learn. In the 1950’s the Fabian Socialists had gained enough control of our public school systems to eliminate the teaching of phonics for a phinetic language, and chose sight reading, designed for deaf students. When I hear a teacher telling someone to “guess” rather than “sound it out”, I know trhey have been teaching sight reading, which auses an enormous handicap. It prevents the student from really enjoying reading because they have to struggle instead of having a good foundation in phonics. Which by the way, includes learning Latin and Greek roots to words. And I was luckily learning those in 4th grade by my Old School teacher.
I knew a man in his 70;s that had come to California for work at the beginning of WWII, and he had a 4th grade education and he was much more educated and had a better ocabulary than any of the High School students whose work was posted up on the wall by the teachers. I saw work that would have been marked red and handed back to me if it was my work. I guess there is no such thing as training kids to do things right anymore or it will hurt their fragile little egos. And now you see why we have young people believing Marxists and rioting ,and burning and beating up old people. So my Friend Vernon, from Arkansas was smarter than trhese punks. He could fix anything. His wife would bring home electronics in the dumpster (she cleaned in an officer’s barracks) and he would have it playing music or running in an hour. He was amazing. I learned a lot about fixing my car from him, but I was working a lot so didn’t get to learn nearly enough.
So I would hazard a bet that those uneducated Amish have a LOT more math and reading than you do. They certainly can build, and they have all the life skills. I can’t tell you how disappointed I am in people that can’t cook. That can’t do laundry, clean, bake, sew, basic stuff. They couldn’t do it if their lives depended on it. But what the Amish might understand , is this guy going to keep us free or is he going to clamp down on our freedom? Because we need our freedom if we are able to do ANYTHING in this world. IF they are reading their Bibles (and I know there are some that don’t, just like mainstream Christians)they can see the prophecies in the Bible, and the End Times are here now. It is more and more obvious. Just judging by the Bible.
Amish voting
So its not okay for peace-loving, God-fearing, law-abiding individuals to vote because of their beliefs. Just because someone doesn’t like wars or doesn’t wish to be in the military doesn’t preclude their right to vote. Basically what you are saying is that the only people that should be allowed to vote are people that have been in the military…that is not democracy. Of course…it sure would make it a lot easier for the Republicans to stay in office!
Maybe, except some military are Democrats
There have been times when th militaery have been softened, like during Obama, and Clinton, when soldiers are given time out tickets so they can rest. Well, in a war, WHEN are you going to rest? even Bush, the RINO and globalist softened the military.He allowed bibles to be burned when a soldier had them sent from home, with his own personal money, by his own church. He was in an islamic country and a family had requested them. But you can tell from his actions, Bush was no Christian. And if you read cathy Obreins’ work and site TRANCEformation of America and Sue Ford’s book Thanks for the Memories, Bush Sr and GW were pedophiles. They were abusive.
The Amish are a great asset to society in other ways and their forefathers and mothers sacrificed much to establish peace and freedom in the USA, some with their lives. There’s more than one way to do that. They did in their way for their posterity as well as others to be free to worship according to the dictates of their own conscience. This election is so important, I hope they do vote this year to uphold the Rule of Law, but if not that’s their right and should be respected.
A Congressional Scorecard – Based on the US Constitution
https://www.thenewamerican.com/freedom-index
Voting equipment
I remember reading that the Amish were more likely to vote when lever machines were used, which ended in Pennsylvania about 2004, because no electricity was used in their operation. These days, you can vote from home via absentee ballot, which it would seem would increase the likelihood they would vote since it’s old paper and pencil and they can just mail the ballot back.
Lessons from the Amish
The anabaptists are a really good counterpoint to the mass insanity of the world today. They demonstrate the difficulty and benefit of following your conscience and seeking your own relationship with actual God, rather than being a participant in a mass movement/mass society. I was curious if Amish voted for this very reason. It makes sense that some do and some don’t. Thanks for the article.
Interesting blog post! I’m not sure if the Amish vote, but it’s an interesting topic to think about.
I must be Amish
I agree with their standpoint almost all the way. As a Christian that should be our outlook; heaven is the goal, we obey God’s laws above man’s laws when they contradict, otherwise we are very good about laws. God is above all so we must obey Him above all. The non resistance I agree with too and it gets complicated. I believe in defending against someone trying to hurt my kids if I had any and that sort of thing. However I could not go to war either, or take a human life. It is man’s ways to get into strife and I want nothing to do with that. The Holy Spirit leads us in the opposite direction from the ways of a fallen world. There is a lot of dishonesty that goes along with the ‘reasons’ for war. If we are attacked it is one thing but I still could not get involved, I would rather pass away to heaven. With voting it depends but for many elections I have not voted because I just don’t believe in voting for ‘the lesser of two evils,’ which is still pretty bad. I won’t be voting this time around either. If anyone harasses me over it I will simply tell them to go bug the Amish too then…. lol !
I also consider myself patriotic to a point but not in an idolatry sort of way as some folks do. Anyway that is where I am and it is interesting to read how they are.
Blessings.
Amish SSI numbers?
I live out here amongst the Swartzies of the Lodi Community and I once heard that among the three church groups here the strictest of the three did not allow members to work for the English. They were also precluded from having a Social Security number which I thought was standard practice for all Amish. But I read in your article about Amish voting, that some do have SSI numbers in order to vote. I know the ones who work for English have to have an employee number which excuses FICA tax from being withheld from their pay checks, but I never heard anyone refer to it as a Social Security number.
Thank God for the Amish
Thank you, Pennsylvania Amish, for handing us a Trump victory yeilding traditional family values including protection of unborn human offspring.
Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.
Well done.