Which Plain Anabaptists vote?

[barnhart]

It's hard for me to understand why the Amish are targeted. Their numbers are too small. Even if this organization were to convince all of them to vote, it seems ineffective. Why not focus on groups large enough make a difference like Hispanics.

[joshuabgood]

Interestingly, historically Mennonites have voted in very high numbers. In the book Mennonites, Amish, and the Civil War Steven Nolt and James Lehman document the numbers of both groups that voted and how they voted (this was prior to Australian (secret) ballot. They were already then Republican. In Lancaster they represented a formidable voting bloc that was instrumental in getting Thaddeus Stevens elected to Congress several times. He rewarded their loyalty by working hard to get Lincoln and Co to approve commutation fees and substitute plans for them with regard to the draft. (Quakers, being more principled, refused commutation fees and substitutes.) The Reformed Mennonites were also more principled in their resistance.

Northern Democrats hated and editorialized against the Republican Mennonites who voted for the war candidates only to wrangle exceptions for their own youths. Of course all that said and a good amount of Menno and Amish wanted to serve and fought in the war.

If you haven't read this book I highly recommend it. It is excellent.

[Neto]

Here is a copy of the ad that was placed in the Lancaster Farming.

I didn't see it, but my wife saw a copy of this that came in the mail to her dad. She said that it didn't sound like an Amishman writing it, because of the level or type of English grammar & wording used. It could be a fraud - a non-Amish person attempting to get real Amish people involved.

I note that Snopes does rate the Bible-burning reference that this ad starts out with as true. It also says that those burning the Bibles did not identify with any group.

Another interesting part that fits your theory:

A video clip of the Portland Bible burning circulated by the Kremlin-backed news agency Ruptly appeared to be among the first viral Russian disinformation campaigns in advance of the 2020 presidential election, according to an Aug. 10 report by The New York Times.

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/portl ... rn-bibles/

That was me that said that.... It's kinda' funny, because my legal name really is Ernest, and I go by 'Ernie' here, but the 'Ernie' here on MennoNet is not me....
[For those that don't know: Ernest = Ernesto (Portuguese) -> Eneto (Banawa) -> Neto (Banawa nickname).]

But regarding voting Amish - the deal is that many will vote on issues, and even local (political) offices, but not for the presidential election, because he is the Commander in Chief of the military. (At least this is how it's been explained to me.) I think, though, that the reason they were 'targeted' in 2016, and apparently now again, is that the Republicans assume (probably correctly) that if they DID vote, they would vote Republican. Few other non-voting blocks of people are so monolithic in what political preferences they DO have (perhaps privately).

[ABC 123]

As a transplant, I have to say it bothered me when I discovered my church prohibited me from voting. It flew in the face of everything I ever learned about voter suppression. I went along with it while I was there, but I am not there any more.

[Judas Maccabeus]

Around here, EPMC, Pilgrim, Hope and their various off-spring are out. Hornings, maybe. Amish, again maybe. KMF I would venture a few, although it would be on the fringe. No idea where BMA is at, but if their rockin' a Glock to church, why not?

Conservative end of the brethren circles wouldn't. COB I think most would.

KMF's guidelines leave no room for voting. If you do so, you would not be in support of them, and therefor exclude yourself from fellowship, same as TV and wedding rings.

J.M.

[Judas Maccabeus]

Interestingly, historically Mennonites have voted in very high numbers. In the book Mennonites, Amish, and the Civil War Steven Nolt and James Lehman document the numbers of both groups that voted and how they voted (this was prior to Australian (secret) ballot. They were already then Republican. In Lancaster they represented a formidable voting bloc that was instrumental in getting Thaddeus Stevens elected to Congress several times. He rewarded their loyalty by working hard to get Lincoln and Co to approve commutation fees and substitute plans for them with regard to the draft. (Quakers, being more principled, refused commutation fees and substitutes.) The Reformed Mennonites were also more principled in their resistance.

Northern Democrats hated and editorialized against the Republican Mennonites who voted for the war candidates only to wrangle exceptions for their own youths. Of course all that said and a good amount of Menno and Amish wanted to serve and fought in the war.

If you haven't read this book I highly recommend it. It is excellent.

It is my understanding that not voting was really brought to the forefront during WWI, but I have not finished "Mennonites and the Great War.

J.M.

[Ken]

It's hard for me to understand why the Amish are targeted. Their numbers are too small. Even if this organization were to convince all of them to vote, it seems ineffective. Why not focus on groups large enough make a difference like Hispanics.

Probably it is the assumption that they will mostly vote GOP.

If you manage to get 10,000 Amish and CA to vote and they vote 90% for the GOP

Or if you manage to get 100,000 Hispanics to vote and they only vote 50% for the GOP

Which effort will make a bigger difference in a close election?

I don't think anyone would bother if PA and OH were not expected to be close. No one is bothering to drum up the Amish vote in TN or CA, for example. But it is the potential closeness in PA and OH that is generating this effort. Which mostly seems to be driven by one young GOP operative linked to Newt Gingrich.

[steve-in-kville]

KMF's guidelines leave no room for voting. If you do so, you would not be in support of them, and therefor exclude yourself from fellowship, same as TV and wedding rings.

J.M.

Was it always that way? I know of a few that really got into local politics, even to the point of sitting on township boards and such.

[Josh]

KMF's guidelines leave no room for voting. If you do so, you would not be in support of them, and therefor exclude yourself from fellowship, same as TV and wedding rings.

J.M.

Was it always that way? I know of a few that really got into local politics, even to the point of sitting on township boards and such.

KMF has moved significantly in this direction in the past 10 years. The late Min. Shenk was at the forefront of this. Back when he was in LMC (and so was all of KMF), he was quite active in Republican Lancaster Co. politics. He had a significant personal change of direction when he decided to go to York instead of pursuing a political career.

He changed my life and many others much more than yet another Republican Senator ever has.

[Ernie]

I didn't see it, but my wife saw a copy of this that came in the mail to her dad. She said that it didn't sound like an Amishman writing it, because of the level or type of English grammar & wording used. It could be a fraud - a non-Amish person attempting to get real Amish people involved.

This is Neto's quote. (from end of page 2)