Veterans Serving Our Democracy

Poll workers are essential for elections, both nationwide and locally. Each election cycle, local citizens step up to serve their communities, ensuring voter confidence that their communities’ ballots will be fairly counted. Their dedication and hard work provide the foundation for a trustworthy electoral process.

Currently, many local counties face a shortage of poll workers needed to fully staff the upcoming elections. To address this issue and foster a new civic tradition, Vet the Vote, a nonpartisan civic initiative, launched an effort to encourage veterans to help tackle the nationwide poll worker shortage. Partnering with over 30 veteran and military-family service organizations, civic groups, and the NFL, Vet the Vote successfully enlisted more than 63,000 veterans as poll workers.

This year, the Secretary of State’s Office and Vet the Vote are collaborating to build on this success and encourage more veterans and military family members to serve as poll workers. This initiative focuses on community and civic service, not politics..

With over 200,000 veterans and vibrant military communities stepping forward to serve, they set a powerful civic example for the broader society and provide a visible reminder of the importance of civic engagement. They serve as role models, inspiring others to get involved in the democratic process, whether by voting, volunteering, or taking on more active roles in community service.