DONALD Trump could secure victory in a crucial swing state thanks to Amish voters who have turned out in “unprecedented numbers”.
Despite their well-known aversion to voting, the often overlooked group in Pennsylvania are understood to have decided to head to the polls in their masses.
APMembers of the Amish community, Samuel Stoltzfus and his wife Lillian Stoltzfus, vote at a polling center at the Garden Spot Village retirement community in New Holland, Pennsylvania[/caption]
AFPAn Amish horse and buggy makes its way toward a polling location at the Leacock Township Municipal building in Intercourse, Pennsylvania[/caption]
APMembers of the Amish community, Lillian Stoltzfus and her husband Samuel Stoltzfus, walk out of a polling center after voting in New Holland, Pa. Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)[/caption]
Almost 100,000 Amish people live in the state and are famed for their dismissal of the government in favor of religion.
But their support of Trump was ignited over the treatment of local dairy farmer Amos Miller.
State officials raided his farm in January for selling unpasteurized milk.
Miller was banned from selling milk – a hugely popular practice for the Amish.
This prompted members of the Amish community in the state to register to vote in “unprecedented numbers”, a source told the New York Post.
And they had their eyes on Donald Trump, as the Republicans favor less government intervention.
The insider said: “That was the impetus for them to say, ‘We need to participate’.
“This is about helping neighbors.”
But it is feared one of their many customs could stop dozens of Amish people from getting to polling stations.
In the Fall – when there is little farm work – they take advantage of the free time to hold weddings on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
But if not tied up at a wedding, their votes could tip the scale in Trump’s direction in the critical battleground state both he and Kamala Harris will be desperate to win.
Pennsylvania, and its 19 electoral college votes, has become one of seven swing states in 2024 that could hold the key to the White House.
In an eleventh-hour bid to drum up support, both Harris and Trump held rallies in the state on election eve.
And the ex-president took to the stage in Lancaster County on Sunday, where around half of the state’s Amish population lives.
It comes as…
Donald Trump has won the presidential election in West Virginia, Indiana, and Kentucky, according to the AP.
Kamala Harris has won the election in Vermont, according to the AP.
Early exit polls revealed voters are concerned with democracy and the economy.
Trump expressed confidence in his campaign, calling it the “best” of the three.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk will reportedly join Trump and several of his top donors at an exclusive star-studded election night watch party at Mar-a-Lago.
Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, voted for the former president at a Catholic church in Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Walz family is set to join Vice President Kamala Harris at her election night watch party at Howard University.
President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden will reportedly not attend Harris’ evening event and will instead watch the election results from the White House.
Harris took over the airwaves in all seven swing states, making a final pitch to undecided voters in several radio interviews on Tuesday.
Polling locations across the US experienced technical issues, long lines, severe weather, and bomb threats.
The Mid-Atlantic state was a key battleground in 2020 as Joe Biden won it by just over 80,000 votes out of almost seven million.
But this year is set to be even tighter as pollsters are currently predicting a dead-even race in the state.
Governor Josh Shapiro has even described Lancaster County as the “swingiest of all swing counties in the swingiest of all swing states”.
This means any number of votes could push the vote either way – and a resurgence of even a few of Pennsylvania’s 100,000 Amish community could spell bad news for The Democrats.
Amish-born Congressman Lloyd Smucker, who represents the district which includes Lancaster County, revealed how members of his community have been politically awakened in 2024.
Smucker told Fox News: “Four years ago, we probably had about 1,500 – 2,000 new Amish registrants and new Amish voters.
“I think we are going to see thousands more this cycle. I just base that on lots of conversations that I have had with the Amish, on meetings that we’ve had.”
The congressman suggested members of the sect believe Trump would align with their beliefs on religious liberty, isolationism, border control, and the economy.
EPAAn Amish girl stands near a vendor stand at a Trump rally in Allentown, Pennsylvania[/caption]
AFPDonald Trump speaks during a town hall at the Convention Center in Lancaster, Pennsylvania[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
