Do the Amish vote? And if so, what party are they more likely to support?
With a week to go before the 2010 mid-term elections, this question may have crossed minds, especially in tighter congressional races in places with an Amish population.
During the last two presidential elecations, a number of media stories were done on the Amish and voting, especially with key battleground states Ohio and Pennsylvania having been in play.
Indeed George Bush campaigned among Amish in Ohio and Pennsylvania during his 2004 re-election bid. In 2008 at least one correspondent found decreased enthusiasm for John McCain’s presidential campaign. This year I have yet to see any pieces done on the potential for Amish participation in the mid-term elections.
Amish electoral participation
The most recent examination of the Amish and voting patterns is found in the book An Amish Paradox: Diversity and Change in the World’s Largest Amish Community, an in-depth look at the Holmes County, Ohio Amish settlement (read an interview with authors Charles Hurst and David McConnell).
Amish voting rates tend to be low, but when they do vote, it is generally supposed that they favor candidates from the Republican party. In An Amish Paradox Hurst and McConnell note that “An Old Order Amish man, now deceased, used to joke that he could count the Amish who supported Democrats on one hand” (Paradox, p 31). Interestingly, Ohio’s 16th and 18th districts, which take in the Holmes/Wayne County community, are currently both held by Democrats.
Read more on the Amish and voting, including on Amish voter registration and objections Amish have to voting.
photo credit: mar is sea Y/Flickr
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I am not Amish, but old order Mennonite. Our practices and beliefs are very similar. In Canada, we vote even less than our US cousins do as we are taught the three A’s, pay (our taxes), pray, and obey.
good morning folks from the lancaster area. thank you davis for letting me post my site www.amishstorys.com . i only wish my site could even be close to yours erik, but they are really very different in what im trying to do. on my site im really trying to allow amish/mennonite a chance to communicate through the internet much like the newspaper the budget does in print. im a fan of that paper and while i think they are doing a wonderful job in that type of format, the internet would allow those folks posting a much faster way of reaching thier loved ones/friends. and like ive said do the amish use the internet like we do, i would say not really but they do know people who have computers who can post thier message. this is the first time that im promoting this site even though ive had it for 6 mos now, and id love for folks to atleast check it out, and most important write something in it. id like to say that its really our site, so relax grab a cup of coffee or tea and maybe write a story, your amish story….. now with that said, we are having above normal temps here in the lancaster/lebanon area, now im not complaining mind you,lol. if the weather will be like this until the cold hits this should let me ease into winter slowly. after living in florida for 22 years, i really could use the help from mother nature……… richard… www.amishstorys.com
sorry folks for the typo, and sorry erik, i typed davis instead of erik. well, since im feeling in a good mood this morning, maybe id like to thank davis anyway, whoever you are.lol……….. richard
Interesting. I was just wondering about Amish voting.
Osiah interesting to hear from you on the topic of voting. I don’t believe I’ve ever come across anything about voting among Old Order Mennonites. Of course I’ve heard of the three R’s but never the three A’s–or at least not described that way.
Osiah, would your community members vote during municipal elections because it would be closer to home than say Ottawa. There where province wide municipal elections held on October 25. I’m fighting back the urge to comment on the winners in my area.
Good evening. i just noticed a post from Osiah Horst who is Mennonite and I believe lives in Canada. would it be possible for me to have her or his e-mail address or have her e-mail me as we are going to move into a Mennonite community in Ontario so would love to hear from her. we are not Mennonite thanks
I’ve heard from some GOP friends that they are going to haul Amish to the voting stations. And my Amish friends are more and more angry with this government, mainly because of Pelosi and Clinton. But they can’t name any specific policy isssues, apart from the stimulus money. And the funny thing is, Ohio and PA are amongst the states that benefited most from that stimulus money!
Amish and government debt
Hi Ruben, thanks for sharing here.
I’d imagine Amish would dislike any sort of handouts on principle, so I think being in a state which is the recipient of large amounts of stimulus money might actually work in the opposite direction. When I hear Amish friends comment on politics these days the idea that the government is borrowing and spending beyond its means is a common complaint.
Looking at other landmark legislation from this Congress, the health care bill I believe has an exemption for religious groups such as the Amish. But I think the general theme of large deficits/wastefulness which is seen by many as sort of a common thread in the legislation/programs that have been enacted (for instance Cash for Clunkers, a key component of which was removing operational cars from the road and destroying them) might strike a chord with some Amish.
Though to be honest I really haven’t gotten a great sense of how interested Amish are in this non-presidential year. I suspect some folks are quite interested and others less so since there is no marquee presidential race getting attention. The fact that Republican interest is elevated in general may have an influence as well, as you describe with non-Amish Republicans trying to get Amish involved. Interesting stuff.
Here in Holmes/Wayne County region, there was HUGE Amish interest in the Bush/Kerry election and somewhat significant, though much less, interest in the last presidential. The Bush/Kerry was the only time I’ve ever seen Amish in line to vote.
There is generally no interest in local or state elections unless there is a very specific issue which might greatly affect the Amish way of life here. I’ve heard nothing amongst my Amish neighbors and friends about this year’s election.
It’s my understanding that just a few Swartzentruber in the area voted in the presidential elections, but generally they have absolutely nothing to do with politics and pretty much stay in their “own world” around here.
Thanks Kerry for this great local insight. I hear similar things about Lancaster County regarding the past couple elections. Bush’s campaigning in both places back in ’04 made headlines.
And that squares with what I’d expect for Swartzentruber Amish.
I definitely do not like the thought of politicians, of either stripe, catering to (read: exploiting) the Amish. I value the Amish ethos of of non-political involvement and skepticism toward politics in general and hopefully, they’ll retain that stand in times to come. Just my opinion.
My email address
My apologies to Linda Saul – I don’t always follow these posts. My email address is obhorst@mwpol.ca. You are always welcome to contact me.
Mennonite voting
I told several municipal politicians that voting on this local level would probably not confilict much with our beliefs. However, it is more consistent not to vote than to say we will vote in this election but not in that one.
IMPORTANT VOTE
This is by far the most Important election in American history. If Trump doesn’t win, there will be no more America. & that’s not good
31 Flavors of Amish Comment on The Amish vote (November 25th, 2010 at 18:02)
[…] Amish that vote. Most avoid politics, but up to 10% do participate in elections, usually local. George Bush felt they could potentially tip Ohio and Pennsylvania to his side in 2004, prompting some unusual meetings with Amish church members. […]