Republicans are ramping up efforts to secure the Amish vote in Pennsylvania, a critical battleground state where both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are campaigning fiercely. Conservative activist Scott Presler is leading the charge to engage the Amish, who are seen as a conservative, yet largely untapped, voting bloc.
Presler is focusing his efforts in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County, home to 44,000 Amish residents, the largest Amish community in the U.S. His strategy revolves around promoting mail-in voting, which he says has been well received by the Amish community. “They love the idea of mail-in ballots,” Presler said, emphasizing that the privacy and convenience of mail-in voting are key to overcoming cultural reluctance.
The GOP’s outreach to the Amish goes beyond just mail-in ballots. Many conservatives are highlighting the threat big government poses to the Amish way of life. Earlier this year, an Amish farmer in Lancaster County had his farm raided and was banned from selling raw milk products without state permits. The case drew attention from both Donald Trump Jr. and RFK Jr., with both rallying to the farmer’s defense, framing the incident as government overreach.
There are nearly 400,000 Amish people across the country, with Pennsylvania being a central hub. In Lancaster County alone, there were 15,000 eligible Amish voters in 2016, but only 1,000 participated in that year’s election. However, by 2020, that number tripled to 3,000 voters. Presler’s goal is to significantly increase that turnout in 2024 through his PAC, Early Vote Action.
Presler’s voter registration efforts in Pennsylvania are already showing results, with Luzerne County flipping from a Democratic stronghold to a slight Republican lead in registration numbers. With just weeks left before the election, the GOP’s focus on mobilizing the Amish vote could prove crucial in the final outcome of the state.
