Guns and butter

Religion | The Amish turned out in record numbers for a candidate who supported their moral values if not their pacifism | Kristin Chapman

In an election where record numbers of Americans voted their values, the Amish were no different. But for members of the sect—who traditionally eschew politics—going to the polls marked for them a radical departure from custom. It also signified a hard choice: a candidate who supported their moral values but not their views on war; or one who might not have gone to war in Iraq but opposed Amish teaching on marriage and the sanctity of life.

"All day long there were Amish people coming in with their registration cards in their hands," said Dale High, the judge of elections for Leacock Township in Pennsylvania's Lancaster County. "Apparently the vote was so important to the Amish this year that they came in their wagons or people brought them—however they could get here."