Amish voters did not win Pennsylvania for Donald Trump

Despite widespread claims on social media from conservative activists, Amish voters cannot be credited with winning Pennsylvania for President-elect Donald Trump, according to voting results.

Although there appears to be a marginal increase in the number of Amish who voted this year, experts said they do not expect major changes in Amish turnout this year, according to an initial analysis of voting results in Lancaster County precincts with large Amish populations.

The large Amish community in Lancaster County and across the state, many of whom dress simply, minimize their use of technology and stay in their insular, self-sufficient communities, has long been considered an untapped voting bloc for Republicans.

Many Pennsylvania Amish do not vote, with some seeing it as a conflict with their religious beliefs of serving God's kingdom by engaging with earthly government.

But that has slowly changed in recent years, with the biggest increase occurring four years ago, when Amish participation more than doubled from 7% in 2016 to 17% in 2020 of the roughly 20,000 Amish of voting age in Lancaster County. or around 3,400 votes.

Experts won't know exactly how many Amish voted until final voter rolls are available, when scholars will then begin the painstaking process of comparing voters' names, addresses and birthdays with those in church directories Amish. Amish experts, based at the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown Colleges, do not digitize or scan directories because Amish leaders object.

I don't expect a big increase in Amish voters, said Steven Nolt, an Amish expert who directs the Young Center. In 2020, the overall data suggested something different between 2016 and 2020. That's not the case this time around as we look ahead to 2020 and 2024.

The push for more Amish voters

Republicans wanted to attract even more Amish voters to Pennsylvania this year, in an election expected to be as close as the last two presidential cycles. President-elect Donald Trump won Pennsylvania by more than 121,000 votes by increasing his vote share statewide, including in Democratic strongholds like Philadelphia.

Elon Musk, the world's richest man, said America PAC, the political action committee he launched to support Trump, organized trips to the polls for the Amish, who often don't drive of motor vehicles but are permitted to be passengers.

The billboards and mailers specifically targeted the Amish community to vote for Trump. A grassroots group organized weekly voter registration drives in Amish markets in Lancaster and Mifflin counties.

Philip Habegger, who grew up among 11 children in Kentucky before leaving his community at age 27, said his family wouldn't have considered voting at all, even if they were informed and interested in politics. Habegger, now 31 and living in Lancaster, volunteered for the Trump campaign.

The Trump campaign never thought it would quadruple turnout as some experts claimed, but it knew it could convince more Amish to vote in Pennsylvania in this election. They share many of the same beliefs as Republicans: They focus on religious freedom, economic opportunity or, in other words, want to mind their own business, Habegger said.

When it comes to efficiency, the Amish are much better than the government at this, Habegger said.

Scott Presler, a conservative activist who leads the grassroots group Early Vote Action, which has organized weekly targeted voter registration drives and moved to Pennsylvania to return the state to red, said his organization is here to stay and is preparing to hire 19 full-time employees. next week.

And he's doubling down on his engagement with Amish voters, hiring a state director who will be specifically tasked with courting votes from the Old Order Amish and Mennonite communities.

We are not leaving. This is truly a concerted effort, not just every presidential year, Presler said of his organization's efforts to get more Amish to vote in Pennsylvania.

It's part of his group's broader strategy to gradually increase the numbers in every Pennsylvania county: turn out 500 to 1,000 new voters for Trump and win the state, which is exactly what Trump did. Presler noted that all counties with large Amish populations produced more votes for Trump this year than in 2020, but he acknowledged that those increases were not all attributable to Amish voters.

There are more than 90,000 Amish and Old Order Mennonites living in Pennsylvania, which constitutes the largest population in the country, with the highest population centered in Lancaster County.

There are approximately 400,000 Amish living in the United States, primarily in Pennsylvania and the Midwest. The population continues to grow at a rapid rate, doubling almost every 20 years, and families have an average of six to nine children, which will mean even more voters, Presler added.

State Rep. Dave Zimmerman (R., Lancaster), who represents a district with Amish and Old Order Mennonite populations, said those groups are engaged and concerned about the outcome of the election.

The Amish will be more concerned about being able to be free to be Amish, Zimmerman added. Any issues that interfere with their way of life will be of concern, such as invasive regulations or restrictions on their religious freedoms.

For the most part, they want to be left alone to raise their family, send their children to school, work on the farm or participate in their construction business, Zimmerman said.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos