The town just outside New York where everybody votes the exact same way
In a town on the outskirts of New York, everybody votes the same way.
Massive margins for one party or the other are not uncommon in the US, but what is strange is how voters in Kiryas Joel will switch their allegiance multiple times on the one ballot.
Visitors to Kiryas Joel are asked to maintain gender separation in all public areas. iStock Editorial
In 2024, 98 per cent of the town of 33,000 people voted for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
And on the same ballot, 85 per cent of the town voted for Democratic senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and 91 per cent for the Democratic House candidate.
It made the town one of Donald Trump’s best precincts that election, while simultaneously one of the best for Democratic politicians who strongly disagree with him.
What’s behind the discrepancy? It’s because nearly everybody in the town is a member of a specific sect.
Nearly everybody in Kiryas Joel speaks Yiddish as a first language and belongs to the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Satmar sect.
The town was settled in 1974 by members of the sect looking to distance themselves from the worldliness of New York City.
And despite its insularity, it is one of the consistently fastest growing towns in the USA.
This is in large part because of how many children each family has.
While Kiryas Joel overwhelmingly backed Democrats in other races, 98 per cent of voters there chose Donald Trump. AP
On average, each household has six people and the median age of the town is less than 12.
On paper, Kiryas Joel is one of the poorest towns in America, in large part because of so many large families getting by on single incomes.
But in reality, there is little poverty in the town thanks to a local social safety net.
The town is unusually united in looking out for each other.
But the unity goes beyond maintaining a comfortable neighbourhood.
The leadership of the town wields extraordinary influence in how people vote. They back their candidates, often the morning of election day, and the residents fill out their ballots as suggested.
It makes the town’s leaders remarkably powerful for a small town.
As a result, they are used to the personal appeals of presidents.
The leadership backed Democratic candidates in the past after receiving calls from Joe Biden and Bill Clinton.
And the village administrator was hosted by Donald Trump in an Oval Office meeting last month.
Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries even made a personal visit to the town in 2024 in a bid to convince them to endorse local congressman Pat Ryan in a close race.
While the town is still bound by US law, a sign on entry politely asks visitors to follow local customs.
Visitors are asked to wear long pants or skirts, covered necklines and sleeves extending past the elbow.
“Use appropriate language. Maintain gender separation in all public areas,” the sign reads.
“Thank you for respecting our values and please enjoy your visit.”
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
