After asserting that women effectively forfeit their ability to vote when they marry because their husbands should serve as their political representatives, Pastor Toby Sumpter has provoked controversy.
The Idaho-based preacher from Doug Wilson’s contentious church made the eye-opening claim while advocating for the removal of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in 1920, on the right-wing program Cross Politics Studio, where he hosts. The remarks, which were caught on camera and have since gone viral online, have garnered harsh criticism from people of all political persuasions.
In support of abolishing the 19th Amendment, Toby Sumpter, a pastor at Christian nationalist Doug Wilson’s church, claims that marriage essentially denies women the right to vote: You’re essentially declaring, “I’m choosing this man to be mypic,” when you get married.Visit Twitter at 4wUSHxRp2A.
August 14, 2025: Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch)
Sumpter started off by giving a long-winded description of how American voting operates, claiming that his opinions aligned with the system as it is. Naturally, the irony is that women are unable to vote for a variety of issues. In Congress, women are still not permitted to vote on any bills. In Congress, women are not allowed to vote on any bills.
He stated that only senators and elected representatives are able to vote before drawing a comparison with his opinion that a husband ought to vote on behalf of his wife. He presented it as a logical progression of marriage, asserting that a woman basically elects her husband to represent her in all spheres of life, including politics, when she marries.
A representative you elect then casts a vote on your favor. Is it an affront to your dignity as a woman that you are not allowed to vote on any measures in Congress? Sumpter inquired in what he obviously believed to be a witty comparison. However, his last statement was what really made social media go crazy. “So, when you get married, what you’re saying is, I’m choosing this man to be my representative,” he said, thus making the case that a woman’s independent voting rights should be superseded by her marriage vows.
A Christian marriage has a certain form that is modeled after the Garden.
Because Adam was unable to find a suitable assistant, God created Eve.
And it was excellent.
This week, I had Pastor Toby Sumpter (@tjsumpter) as a guest on my show. Read more.tweet.com/EXOXpeuYUp
Feb. 23, 2024 Will Spencer (@RenOfMen)
Right Wing Watch posted clips of the conversation, which were swiftly dissected online. The comments were deemed misogynistic, regressive, and a dangerous echo of the pre-suffrage era by numerous users on BlueSky and other platforms.
How do these lovely Christian women feel about the Secretary of Defense being a member of this madness? was the caustic question posed by one account that featured pictures of well-known female politicians. Some commented, “Just wondering why the man isn’t choosing his wife to be his representative,” highlighting the ridiculousness of the idea. That ought to be legitimate as well, right? Having her represent him in the voting booth shouldn’t be an insult to his dignity.
The backlash continued after that. Some believed that the pastor’s actions were a part of a larger effort by religious nationalists to suppress civil liberties. One irate responder stated, “Your wife or girlfriend isn’t your slave.”
There is unrestricted violence and death whenever we encounter another religious zealot from any religion. Others pointed out that concerns about the deterioration of democratic norms have been heightened by Sumpter’s church and political supporters’ increased discourse about conventional gender roles and Christian nation policies.
Sumpter’s comments follow a similar viral video that former Fox News host and current US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted, in which he likewise advocated against women’s suffrage on the grounds that it would preserve traditional family structures.
