The Economist: American Politics: What do the Amish Think?

What do the Amish think of a Mormon Presidential Candidate? As was predicted by local political bosses, Pennsylvania's tough voter ID law was put on hold today. The the dismay of local conservative talk show hosts, who were roaring on Lexington's hire car radio about "Judge Chicken hawk" permitting the dead to vote in the Democratic stronghold of Philadelphia, Judge Robert Simpson ordered that a new requirement to show a valid identity card with photograph and expiry date before voting should not take effect before the elections on November 6th, for fear that legitimate voters might not be able to secure the right to ID cards in time. Your reporter, who is in Pennsylvania again, researching a couple of pieces, can report that the ruling, while angering many Republicans, will be greeted with relief within at least one staunchly conservative voter block: The Amish of Lancaster County. There are about 70,000 Amish in the State of Pennsylvania, some 28,000 of them scattered on small farms in the rolling green hills of  Lancaster. With horse drawn buggies, scooters and their own feet as their most common means of transport, the Amish have no need of drivers' licences, though many have special ID cards bearing the inscription "Valid without Photo", reflecting their church's prohibition against photographs and other graven images. Those cards meet the new voter ID law requirements, but are fiddly to obtain, requiring a letter from an Amish bishop and a special visit to a government office. Though only a minority of the Amish vote, those who do intend to cast ballots next month were anxious that the voter ID laws would diminish their already low turnout. Back in 2004, when I was last posted to America, the Amish found themselves singled out for special attention by George Bush, who flew to Lancaster County to deliver a campaign speech, attended by a fair number of straw hatted, buggy driving Amish. As pacifists they did not greatly care for the Iraq war, but they strongly supported the then president's conservative views on social and religious issues, as well as gun rights (many Amish are keen hunters, especially with bows)!