You’ve probably seen the photos. A horse-drawn buggy parked near a polling station, or a group of men in suspenders and straw hats standing in line at a local gymnasium. It makes for a great viral image. Every four years, like clockwork, a narrative pops up suggesting that a "silent" wave of Amish voters is about to swing the entire election.
But does that actually happen?
Honestly, the reality is a lot more complicated than a simple "yes" or "no." While the idea of thousands of Amish people suddenly descending on the polls is a favorite of political pundits, the truth is deeply rooted in a theology that most outsiders don't quite grasp.
Do the Amish Vote for President?
The short answer is: mostly no, but sometimes yes.
Statistically, the vast majority of Amish adults do not vote. We are talking about a community of roughly 400,000 people across the U.S., yet in a heavy-hitter county like Lancaster, Pennsylvania—the heart of Amish country—researchers like Steven Nolt from the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies have historically seen only about 3,000 Amish ballots cast in a presidential race.
When you consider there are nearly 100,000 Amish in Pennsylvania alone, that’s a tiny fraction.
The "Two Kingdoms" Problem
So, why don't they show up? It’s not because they’re lazy or uninformed. It’s because of something called Two Kingdoms theology.
Basically, the Amish believe they are citizens of God’s kingdom first. The "worldly" government is a separate entity. To them, getting too tangled up in earthly politics feels like a betrayal of their separation from the world. They’ll pray for the president. They’ll pay their taxes. But picking a side in a mud-slinging political brawl? That’s often seen as crossing a line.
Then there’s the issue of the "sword." The Amish are strictly non-resistant. Since the President is the Commander-in-Chief of the military, some Amish feel that voting for that office makes them morally responsible for any lives lost in war.
The Trump Era and the 2024 Shift
Things have gotten weird lately. In the 2024 election cycle, the effort to reach Amish voters reached a fever pitch. Activists like Scott Presler and organizations like Amish PAC went all-in on registration drives.
You might’ve seen the billboards in Lancaster County written in Pennsylvania Dutch—Fer Die Amische. They weren’t talking about global trade deals or healthcare reform. They focused on three things:
- Religious Freedom
- Small Government
- The "Raw Milk" Raid
That last one is a big deal. In early 2024, a raid on Amos Miller’s farm in Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania, by state agriculture officials really lit a fire under the community. The government was suddenly in their barns, poking around their food. For a people who just want to be left alone, that felt like an attack.
Did it actually change the outcome?
Republican Congressman Lloyd Smucker, who has Amish roots himself, predicted a massive surge in 2024. And while there was an uptick in registration, the "blue-wave-killing" Amish surge was probably overstated.
Even if turnout doubled or tripled, we’re still looking at a few thousand votes in a state where the margin is often tens of thousands. It’s a drop in the bucket, but in a swing state like Pennsylvania, campaigns treat every drop like it’s gold.
How the Amish Vote When They Do
When an Amish person decides to cast a ballot, they almost always lean Republican.
It makes sense. Their values—pro-life, traditional marriage, minimal government interference, and a strong work ethic—align naturally with the GOP platform. They don’t care about "woke" culture wars in the way a suburban voter might, but they care deeply about their right to run their own schools and businesses without a bureaucrat in Harrisburg or D.C. telling them how to do it.
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Interestingly, local elections often see higher Amish turnout than presidential ones. Why? Because the local township supervisor or the school board has a much more direct impact on their daily lives than the guy in the Oval Office.
Surprising Facts About Amish Political Life
- No TVs, but plenty of newspapers: They don't watch CNN, but they read local papers and specialized Amish publications like The Budget or Die Botschaft. They know what's going on.
- The "Bush Fever" of 2004: George W. Bush actually saw a significant spike in Amish support. His "compassionate conservatism" and clear religious language resonated with them more than most candidates.
- PACs are outsiders: Most of the "Amish PACs" you see are run by non-Amish people (the "English"). The Amish themselves aren't organizing these political machines.
What This Means for the Future
We are seeing a slow, grinding shift. As the world closes in on the Amish—through land prices, government regulations, and technology—some are deciding that staying silent is no longer an option.
Younger Amish men, in particular, seem more willing to engage than their grandfathers were. They own small construction businesses. They deal with permits. They feel the sting of inflation on diesel and lumber.
But don't expect a revolution.
The core of Amish life is still about the church and the family. Most will continue to sit out the "beauty pageant" of the presidency. They’ll stay home, hitch the horse, and leave the fate of the country in God’s hands, not the ballot box.
If you want to track the real impact of this demographic, keep your eyes on these specific areas:
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- Voter registration rolls in Lancaster (PA), Holmes (OH), and LaGrange (IN) counties. These are the "Big Three" settlements.
- Local land-use and "Right to Farm" legislation. This is what actually gets them out of the house.
- Post-election analysis from the Young Center. They are the only ones who do the painstaking work of cross-referencing church directories with voter lists to see who actually showed up.
The "Amish Vote" will likely remain a white whale for political consultants—something that exists, but is far smaller and harder to catch than the headlines suggest.