In the last days of the campaign, media outlets around the US reported an unprecedented mobilisation among the Amish voters. For many members of that closed Protestant community, Donald Trump’s support was part of the fight for the state of Pennsylvania to recognise their rights.
“Republicans could see a boost in Pennsylvania from a demographic rarely seen at the polls: the Amish,” the New York Post reported hours before the election.
The growing interest in the 2024 election in the Amish community could be foreseen by the sight of many horse wagons bearing Trump support flags.
But what was the reason behind such mobilisation of the Amish who usually tend to live in their closed communities and mind their own business?
It seems that the key question was the feeling of interference in their rights. The radical Protestant communities of Amish and Mennonites emigrated to the US, and specifically Pennsylvania after they were granted a full tolerance and recognition of their rights.
In recent months the Amish believed these warranties were violated by the state authorities of Pennsylvania dominated by Democratic Party officials, including the state governor Josh Shapiro.
“The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture stormed Amos Miller’s farm Jan. 4 after reports of illnesses in children linked to raw dairy products purchased there, according to the local media outlet Lancaster Farming,” the New York Post reminded.
As Amish communities felt growing interference from the state administration the general sentiment was to vote for the GOP representatives that support less state activity in the economic and social liberties of the US citizens.
The clear sentiment among the Amish voters was the feeling of interrupting their status as the descendants of protestant settlers who wanted their rights to be respected so they moved to the US from Europe where they were persecuted for religious reasons as they denied military services to any government.
The commentators say that the Amish votes seriously contributed to the Trump score in Pennsylvania which was one of the most important swing states to be won by one of the 2024 US presidential candidates.
It seems that the Amish vote phenomenon must remind government officials about the foundations of America’s political system as one based on the respect and protection of the individual rights of its citizens.
Source: New York Post
Photo:TaraBull808
Tomasz Modrzejewski
