Ellen Gustafson, co-founder and executive director of We the Veterans and Military Families, recently took the time to highlight the “Unsung Heroes” of American Elections – U.S. Veterans.
During the 10th annual Military Influencer Conference (MIC) in Tampa, Fla., Gustafson hosted a panel titled “The Unsung Heroes: How Veterans Show Up for American Elections,” where she discussed her organization’s effort in recruiting U.S. Veterans to help during election cycles.
“Poll workers are the unsung heroes of our elections – and an outsized share of them are veterans and military family members,” Gustafson said.
Vet The Vote
According to Gustafson, 168,000 veterans and military family members have been recruited as poll workers in 4/5ths of all American ZIP codes through a recruitment campaign known as Vet the Vote.
Started in 2022, Vet the Vote sought to empower veterans, military family members, and survivors to continue serving their country and display their patriotism through nonpartisan election volunteer work.
We the Veterans and Military Families launched the initiative in response to a poll worker deficit of roughly 120,000 volunteers during the 2022 midterm elections.
“By the end of 2022, we had recruited 63,000 – which means that veterans and military family members filled half of America’s need for poll workers in the entire country,” Gustafson affirmed.
Partnerships With Sports Leagues
During the panel, Gustafson also highlighted the initiative’s efforts through its partnership with various sports leagues.
We the Vet has partnered with the National Basketball Association (NBA), National Football League (NFL), and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) to help normalize nonpartisan participation in American elections.
“We have found that highlighting this concept of serving again has a huge impact,” Gustafson affirmed.
With help from U.S. veterans and military family members, Gustafson asserted this work can help reinforce U.S. election integrity and help maintain faith in the U.S. electoral system.
