“The Amish, if they are mobilized, could literally save Western civilization.”
Conservatives are making a play for the Amish vote in Pennsylvania, a key battleground state both former President Donald Trump and VP Kamala Harris are desperately trying to capture.
Amish Americans generally stay out of mainstream politics despite recent efforts from Republicans, who see the conservative and religious residents as allies and an untapped voting bloc. When Amish people do vote, they overwhelmingly register as Republicans.
“I want you to know, we are courting the Amish vote,” conservative activist Scott Presler said at a political conference. “The Amish, if they are mobilized, could literally save Western civilization.”
Presler is leading this stronger, renewed effort to capture the Amish vote this election cycle — especially in Pennsylvania, where 87,000 Amish reside. He says the Amish people he’s spoken to are receptive to mail-in ballots.
“When I go to the Amish and I tell them that they can have a private secret ballot that is sent to their homes, and they don’t have to drive their buggy to town and go to a polling location and have that stigma from their community: they love the idea of mail-in ballots,” Presler said. “And how epic would it be if a tool of the Democrats was used in order to get out the Amish vote and win and elect Donald J. Trump?”