The goal of Vet The Vote is to recruit 100,000 veterans and military family members to serve as election poll volunteers in the 2022 elections - from the primaries through Election Day in November. As of September 19, 2022, Vet the Vote has recruited more than 55,000 election poll workers. We still have a way to go!
Despite record voter turnout in the 2020 elections, many state and county boards of election have experienced great difficulty in recruiting volunteers to run election polling sites in communities all across America. This is largely due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the traditional +60-year-old group of poll volunteers.
Here’s the thing: democracy runs on elections, and elections run on volunteers. If your county doesn’t find enough volunteers, it means fewer polling sites, longer lines, and, ultimately, less democracy!
Poll workers are responsible for opening the polls in the morning; checking in voters and issuing ballots; maintaining the chain of custody of ballots, providing voting equipment and supplies; reconciling the number of voters checked in with the number of ballots cast at their location; and more. Election Day can’t happen without poll workers.
This is why we are encouraging you to volunteer this election season as an election poll worker in your community. By doing so, you will:
- Support our democracy in a very personal and meaningful way
- Help ensure the safety, security, and efficiency of our elections
- Engage with your community
- Demonstrate the pride veterans and military families have for our country
- And, you might also get paid, as many states reimburse poll workers for their time.
Are you ready to join the next generation of poll workers? Sign up here.