As Well As

Addendums that Redefine

Beyond ‘Leave Us Alone’: Plain People and the Two-Way Street of Religious Liberty

Amish are often characterized as wanting nothing more than to be “left alone” by government authorities. Yet, from buggy electrification laws pushed by some Amish against others to Amish segregated public school buildings, some plain people actively shape government action even as they claim religious exemptions and doctrinal separation from

Cory Anderson

Jan 11, 2025

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Ohio Legislature’s Late-Night Rider Proposes Fees for Requesting Police Body Cam Footage under Ohio’s Public Records Act

In the pre-dawn hours between December 19 and 20, Ohio legislators attached a consequential rider to a bill, establishing fees ranging from $75 to $750 for body camera footage requests. The governor has not signed the legislation, but its inclusion in the larger bill is alarmingly close to becoming law.

Cory Anderson

Dec 20, 2024

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Flashing Lights and Flickering Rights:
Recent Religious Infringement Injunction Ruling, with Critical Insights for Public Officials

For over two years, Ohio law enforcement has issued citations to Amish individuals—almost entirely Swartzentruber Amish—who religiously object to electrifying their buggies with flashing yellow lights. The citation count well exceeds 200. Six Swartzentrubers have served jail time while others have been facing threats of child endangerment charges and property

Cory Anderson

Nov 28, 2024

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Beyond the Ballot Box Margins
Further Insights from Amish News Coverage in Pennsylvania's Political Theater

Three weeks ago, I outlined how plain people’s growing numbers in Pennsylvania create an intriguing electoral dynamic—a demographic that doesn't play by conventional political rules yet holds theoretical weight in tight races. Since then, the media spotlight has turned toward Pennsylvania’s Amish with intensity. Election-season profiles have appeared in outlets

Cory Anderson

Oct 28, 2024

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An Emerging Non-Voter Bloc:
The Dilemma of Plain People in Pennsylvania’s Political Chessboard

In the high-stakes chess game of Pennsylvania politics—the state poised to declare “checkmate” in the 2024 presidential election—there's a piece on the board that doesn’t play by the rules. Growing in number but refusing to advance or be taken, the plain Anabaptist population presents a frustrating dynamic for political strategists

Cory Anderson

Oct 8, 2024

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Buggy Safety or Religious Infringement?
Ohio's New Flashing Light Law Brings Coordinated Response after 200+ Citations to Swartzentruber Amish

Four Old Order Amish from Swartzentruber and Kenton sects (see Petrovich 2017) are challenging a new Ohio state law requiring their buggies to have a yellow flashing light. A recent article in the Religion News Service reports that Harvard University Law School's Religious Freedom Clinic, along with Ohio-based counsel, has

Cory Anderson

Sep 21, 2024

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Beyond Amish Forgiveness
Unpacking the Amish Response to a Wisconsin Football Team’s Harassment

As high school was recently resuming in rural Wisconsin, nine football players spent an evening harassing Amish near LaValle (Old Order Amish-mainstream affiliation, see Table 1 in Petrovich 2017). The football players blew air horns, knocked on doors and windows, and caused minor damage. Amish residents, responding as many of

Cory Anderson

Sep 10, 2024

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Introducing “As Well As: Addendums That Redefine”
Addendums that Redefine

Scholarship is time consuming and rarely leaves room to present all interesting insights. Yet, these many little insights litter my notebooks, computer, and cognitive dashboard. As a supplement to my scholarship, I am opening this space with the aim of enlivening our perceptions of the plain people—Amish, Mennonites, and others—through

Cory Anderson

Aug 15, 2024

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I am a sociologist dedicated to studying Mennonite and Amish life. In As Well As, I engage with both the academic and practical aspects of plain Anabaptist populations.

 Read more about me

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