As everyone knows, an election is upon us! Of course we want you to get out and vote, and this year we think you should take it one step further: get out and work the election.
A groundbreaking study conducted by the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (CDCE) at the University of Maryland, in collaboration with We the Veterans and Military Families, reveals that recruiting veterans and military family members (VMF) to serve as poll workers significantly boosts public confidence in the election process. The research shows that across the board, the knowledge that election officials are hiring veterans and military families generates positive perceptions.
The survey, fielded from August 29 to September 9, 2024, with a national sample of 1,263 U.S. citizens drawn to represent voting-age citizens across the U.S, highlights that recruiting members of the VMF community leads to increased confidence in vote counting, reduced concerns about election-related violence, and greater belief in the fairness of the electoral process. The positive impacts were particularly notable among individuals previously skeptical of the 2020 election outcome. In 2022, more than 63,500 veterans and military family members were recruited by Vet the Vote to serve as poll workers. To date, Vet the Vote has recruited over 162,000 veterans and military family members out of the approximately 1 million poll workers America needs to run our elections in November.
Ben Keiser, Co-Founder of We the Veterans and Military Families and University of Maryland alum, emphasized the importance of this recruitment effort, stating: “This study confirms our hypothesis that veterans and military families – who have already demonstrated their unwavering commitment to our country – serving as poll workers help to strengthen public confidence in elections. We encourage election officials nationwide to actively recruit veterans and military family members to be part of this essential civic duty.”
Gregory Isaiah Espinoza, Research Fellow, CDCE, and a Marine Veteran, said: “Transitioning out of military service itself is a unique and often challenging experience that could potentially become a bit easier if election jobs are promoted as a path for active-to-civil-service by military leaders, government, and local election officials. Election jobs can give space for a new veteran to transition back into civilian life, while at the same time help integrate a veteran and their family into a community through civil service. Some veterans go back to their hometowns while others don’t, but in either case it can be difficult for veterans and their family members to settle into a community after being accustomed to feeling rather transient. It might be beneficial if election officials could work with local military commands to promote election work as a viable and simple option for those soon to exit military service.”
Michael J. Hanmer, Professor at the University of Maryland and Director of the CDCE, said: “The findings of this study are timely and crucial for the 2024 elections. That sizable portions of the public lack confidence in our elections is a serious problem. Our study provides powerful evidence that recruiting veterans and military family members to work at polling places not only strengthens public trust in the process but also addresses concerns about potential threats to election security and violence at the polls.”
The study shows that individuals informed about veterans and military families being recruited for election roles were 7% more likely to express confidence that their votes would be counted accurately. The public also felt that elections would be more secure and polling places safer with veterans and military families involved.
Established in 2019, the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (CDCE) at the University of Maryland has played a leading role mobilizing the whole UMD community to strengthen democracy.
We the Veterans and Military Families aims to engage and empower the 16 million+ veterans and their family members living in the United States to help build a more perfect Union.
For more information, please contact We the Veterans and Military Families at press@wetheveterans.us or visit https://www.wetheveterans.us.