McCain targets new voter group to win battleground states back from Obama
Peter Allgyers lives in Lancaster, PA and decided to vote in the presidential election. Even though this is not a big decision for most Americans at the age of 31, for Allgyers it is crucial. He is Amish. Like most of his community fellows he lives without telephone, electricity and usually doesn’t vote. In 2008 however, Allgyers skips his pacifist conviction and votes for John McCain.
Allgyers is not the only Amish choosing to step to the ballot box this year. The McCain/Palin ticket appeals to the Amish community. The campaign’s focus on social issues and pro-life arguments galvanize an increasing number of Amish to register to vote. Lancaster County is the home to 27,000 Amish. It doesn’t take a genius to see the huge potential for the Republican ticket, especially in a battleground state like Pennsylvania.
Recent polls see Obama with a double-digit ahead in the Quaker State. But the Amish vote could still turn the table on November 4. Amish voters are not included in polls. Their actual impact can only be estimated on Election Day. Imagine the disaster of Obama loosing the state because his supporters trusted the polls and stayed at home on Election Day. Democratic supporters need to overcome the poll’s enchantment and go voting for their candidate.
The Amish belief in remaining separate from the modern culture has kept the religious group at a distance from American politics in the past. They migrated to the United States in the 18th century due to a religious movement in central Europe. As part of their faith, they attempt to preserve the rural culture of 17th century Europe and therefore avoid many features of the modern society. They neither believe in the use of telephone nor in contacts with the “outside world”. The Amish have isolated themselves from the American culture and created their own subculture.
But things change over time. Just like every other society, the Amish find themselves in a process of modernization. Especially the younger generation reinterprets the imposed rules. One Amish rule says that the houses should not be connected with telephones to the outside world. While the conservative interpretation was that Amish should not use telephones at all, the more recent one is to simply not install telephones in the houses. Peter Allgyers has built a telephone booth in his backyard. He thereby respects the traditional Amish belief but also benefits from the use of the telephone.
The younger generation of Amish also rethinks its participation in the electoral system. The interest in the candidates increases steadily among the young. Crucial aspects of the Amish conviction are reflected in the Republican campaigns. Sarah Palin’s firm position against abortion and her strong bond to the religious belief are highly valued among the Amish. “Knowing that my core values are represented by the Republican candidates motivates me to vote;” says Allgyers. “I don’t feel like breaking a rule by voting for the core values I believe in.”
Algyers first learned about American politics in 2004 when George W. Bush came to his house to talk about family values and religion. “When he confessed that his belief in God and his prayers helped him to overcome any obstacles I was convinced to support him,” says Allgyers. Bush excessively courted the Amish vote in his 2004 campaign. Visiting Lancaster County and talking directly to the Amish was part of his overall strategy to win religious votes over. In 2004 Allgyers missed the registration deadline but ever since the meeting with President Bush he spoke up for the Republican Party in his community.
In 2008 John McCain and Sarah Palin follow Bush’s strategy and target the religious votes. Their rally in Lancaster on September 9 attracted many Amish community members. Allgyers’s engagement for the McCain/Palin ticket has motivated his fellows to register to vote as well. Since polls in Lancaster don’t use electronic voting machines, there are no technical obstacles that would keep Amish voters away from voting.
The Democratic candidate Barack Obama and his running mate Joe Biden need to act in order to keep the lead in Pennsylvania. Due to the mobilization of the Amish vote, they could lose decisive electoral votes for the battleground state election. Although the 2004 election had a positive outcome for the Democrats in Pennsylvania, their candidate John Kerry won by only two percent. The Amish have formed a strong supporter base for the Republican Party in Pennsylvania since 2004.
The state of Ohio, where the second largest Amish community lives, has had more and more Amish show interest in this year’s presidential election. Overall, there are approximately 180,000 Amish living in the United States, and once Amish decide to vote, they vote Republican in an overwhelming majority of 99 percent.
The chances for the Democratic ticket to woo the Amish vote are almost impossible. For the democratic voter base in the swing states it is even more important to vote on November 4 and not rely on the positive enchantment, that recent polls have caused. The only voting poll that counts is the final one on Election Day. Peter Allgyers is going to vote for the first time in his life. He will vote for John McCain.
---This story was an assignment for my Public Communication Writing Course. "Peter Allgyers" is a fictive character. However, the content of the story is based on background interviews with Amish community members in Lancaster, PA as well as on internet research.
Diese kleine Kurzmeldung erschien auf der alten SOC Homepage. Seit dem Relaunch vergangene Woche gibt es die Kurzmeldungen nicht mehr. Stattdessen ist meine Erfolgsgeschichte unter "Awards and Achievements" vermerkt.
Frisch aus dem Drucker sind sie: meine neuen Visitenkarten. Genau genommen sind es meine allerersten Visitenkarten. Dank Familienkooperation war das Layout schnell gefertigt (Danke Papa) und Staples bietet vorperforiertes Visitenkartenpapier an. Wer also nicht das Budget hat, die Visitenkarten in Druck zu geben, kann sich so den einen oder anderen Cent sparen. Nur ein guter Farbdrucker sollte her, damit das ganze nicht zu Wischi-Waschi aussieht.
Foto: SOC Homepage www.soc.american.edu
Bild: Artikel aus dem BBV, 6. Dezember 2008
Peter Allgyers lives in Lancaster, PA and decided to vote in the presidential election. Even though this is not a big decision for most Americans at the age of 31, for Allgyers it is crucial. He is Amish. Like most of his community fellows he lives without telephone, electricity and usually doesn’t vote. In 2008 however, Allgyers skips his pacifist conviction and votes for John McCain.
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