A Vote for Justice and Religion

Otto Mörike, a pastor in Kirchheim unter Teck and member of the Confessing Church, and his wife Gertrud placed a statement in their ballot envelopes at the combined plebiscite and Reichstag election on April 10, 1938 in which they explained their reasons for not voting Yes in the Reichstag election.

Otto Mörike cited the dissolution of morals and justice as well as the destruction of the church and the de-Christianization of our nation as principal reasons. He openly mentioned the existence of concentration camps and lamented the perversion of the law and injustice. His wife, who unlike her husband also voted No in the plebiscite, justified her decision with her rejection of Nazism as an ideology since it was enough to curse and eternally destroy our nation.

In the election night, an inflamed mob forced its way into the parsonage and assaulted Mörike. Afterward, he was arrested.