VET THE VOTE WANTS VETERAN POLL WORKERS TO WORK THE 2024 ELECTION
Even if you aren't that interested in politics, it’s clear that 2024 is an election year. Anytime our nation gets together to cast a vote, it takes hundreds of thousands of individuals to make it all happen. However, what you might not know is that America is facing a poll worker problem. Several factors have made it more and more difficult to attract election workers necessary for the democratic process. Vet the Vote (VTV) aims to help our nation’s issues by finding election workers in the Veteran community.
What is Vet the Vote?
The Vet the Vote initiative is a program aiming to get more Veterans involved during the 2024 election as poll workers, during a time in which many states are struggling to fill the roles. Created by the nonprofit, We the Veterans, Vet the Vote hopes to impact over 115,000 voting locations across the United States. They provide election workers from the Veteran community with an opportunity to further serve their country. When it was difficult to get poll workers in 2022, Vet the Vote was able to provide over 63,500 workers to help their communities.
America Needs More Poll Workers
In 2022, the lack of poll workers became noticeable. This is because around 130,000 stopped holding their positions at the time, over the timeframe of three midterm elections. Lingering effects involving the COVID-19 pandemic were a major issue facing the U.S. Election Assistance Committee (EAC), and the process as a whole. These issues were never fully recovered, and since then, there have been emerging hurdles for attracting election workers to overcome. Resources and funding continue to be a problem. Additionally, newer restrictions aimed at ensuring a fair election are also preventing additional funds needed to attract poll workers. This is why initiatives such as Vet the Vote have begun in the first place. It’s no secret that the Veteran community cares about their country. Additionally, becoming a poll worker is a great way to give back. Veteran poll workers understand the importance of our elections and being a part of the process helps ensure everyone with a right to vote gets to exercise it efficiently. Election workers help voters stay organized, check in, set up and tear down polling stations, assist with machines, translate instructions, and much more.
NASCAR Partnership With Vet the Vote Recruits Election Workers
VTV isn’t just sitting back and hoping the Veteran community shows up. The organization is also collaborating with major sporting events to get the job done. Through a partnership with NASCAR, Vet the Vote continues to look for volunteers to become Veteran poll workers for the 2024 presidential election. By the time the NASCAR Cup Series in Michigan took place, VTV already had over 140,000 Veterans and their family members signed up. However, it’s still looking to get more as needs grow. For the 2024 election, it’s believed that around 1 million volunteers will be necessary for working the polls. This isn’t the first time VTV has worked with a major sporting event to help the cause. Previous initiatives with the NFL during the Super Bowl have also taken place. Furthermore, partnerships with Walmart and Microsoft are also working to meet the needs of polling stations. If you are interested in joining the 2024 Vet the Vote cause, you can sign up to become a poll worker in just a few clicks. Suggested reads: