The Issue That Drove the Amish to the Polls in Pennsylvania

Leah Barkoukis | November 07, 2024 2:45 PM

The Amish are not a politically engaged community, but the 2024 election was different. There was one issue that prompted these Pennsylvania residents to register to vote in “unprecedented numbers”—milk.

Earlier this year, there was a federal raid on a raw milk farm, Bird in Hand, that angered the community over the government’s heavy-handed response following reports of illness from consumers.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture stormed Amos Miller’s farm Jan. 4 after reports of illnesses in children linked to raw dairy products purchased there, according to the local media outlet Lancaster Farming.
The Amish community saw the move as an overzealous reach by the government and was planning to vote for GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, whose party favors less government intervention.
“That was the impetus for them to say, ‘We need to participate,’ ” the source said of local Amish voters. “This is about neighbors helping neighbors.”
The Amish community rallied around Miller, who cited his religious beliefs as a reason for not adhering to Food and Drug Administration guidelines.
The Amish community rallied around Miller, who cited his religious beliefs as a reason for not adhering to Food and Drug Administration guidelines. (New York Post)

"They came with a search warrant...They just raided through everything."@townhallcom interviewed that Amish farmer, whose nightmare began when the government of Virginia launched a raid on his 100-acre farm. Listen to Fisher's story, in his own words 🧑‍🌾pic.twitter.com/7NUpxygkfC
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) August 21, 2023