Pastor Toby Sumpter has sparked outrage after claiming that women essentially give up their right to vote when they get married, because their husbands should act as their political representatives.
Speaking on the right-wing show Cross Politics Studio, where he is a host, the Idaho-based preacher from Doug Wilson’s controversial church made the eyebrow-raising argument while pushing for the repeal of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote in 1920. The comments, captured in a video that has since spread widely online, have drawn sharp criticism from across the political spectrum.
Toby Sumpter, a pastor at Christian nationalist Doug Wilson’s church, defends repealing the 19th Amendment by arguing that women effectively give up their right to vote by getting married: “When you get married, what you’re saying is, ‘I’m choosing this man to be my… pic.twitter.com/4wUSHxRp2A
— Right Wing Watch (@RightWingWatch) August 14, 2025
Sumpter began by delivering a rambling explanation about how voting works in the U.S., insisting that his views were consistent with the current system. “The irony of course is there all kinds of things that women can’t vote for. Women are still not allowed to vote for any bill in Congress. Female citizens cannot vote for any bill in Congress.
Only elected representatives and senators can vote,” he said, before comparing that to his belief that a husband should cast a ballot on behalf of his wife. He framed it as a natural extension of marriage, claiming that when a woman marries, she’s essentially choosing her husband to be her representative in all matters, including politics.
“You elect a representative and that representative then votes for you. The fact that you don’t get to vote in any bills in Congress, is that an insult on your dignity as a woman?” Sumpter asked, in what he clearly thought was a clever analogy. But it was his final line that truly lit up social media. “So when you get married, what you are saying is, I’m choosing this man to be my representative,” he concluded, effectively arguing that marital vows should override a woman’s individual voting rights.
There is a particular shape to a Christian marriage that follows the pattern in the Garden.
Adam could not find a helper appropriate for him, so God made Eve.
And it was “very good.”
Pastor Toby Sumpter @tjsumpter was the guest on my podcast this week, for more. pic.twitter.com/EXOXpeuYUp
— Will Spencer (@RenOfMen) February 23, 2024
Clips of the exchange, shared by Right Wing Watch, were quickly picked apart online. Many users on BlueSky and other platforms called the remarks sexist, regressive, and a dangerous echo of the pre-suffrage era.
One account posted photos of prominent female politicians, asking sarcastically: “How do these fine Christian women feel about the Secretary of Defense being a congregant of this lunacy?” Others pointed out the absurdity of the idea, with one commenter quipping, “Just wondering why the man isn’t choosing his wife to be his representative. That should be legit too, correct? Shouldn’t be an assault on his dignity to have her represent him in the voting booth.”
The blowback didn’t stop there. Some saw the pastor’s position as part of a broader push by religious nationalists to roll back civil rights. “Your girlfriend, or your wife isn’t your slave,” one furious commenter wrote.
“When we get another religious fundamentalist from any religion, we get unlimited violence and death.” Others noted that Sumpter’s church and political allies have been ramping up rhetoric around traditional gender roles and “Christian nation” policies, fueling concerns about the erosion of democratic norms.
Sumpter’s remarks come on the heels of a similar viral clip shared by former Fox News host and current United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who also argued against women’s suffrage under the guise of protecting traditional family structures.
