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The Need for Veteran Voices in the Polls this Election Season

Mission Roll Call 6 min read October 15, 2024
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“We the People of the United States… do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” In 1787, United States delegates convened in Philadelphia where, over the course of several months, they drafted the Constitution. In doing so, they set the framework for the future of our democratic nation. More than 200 years later, we are still upholding the vision of our founders: a government of the people, for the people, by the people – and as we head into another presidential election, this vision is as important today as ever.

United States veterans have a heightened role in preserving the Constitutional rights on which this country was founded. When joining the U.S. Armed Forces, every service member takes an Oath of Enlistment or Office, in which they solemnly swear to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States.” This pledge evolves over the years as service members step up to meet whatever challenges are necessary to support our nation. But the oath also extends beyond their military service and translates to their civilian life, especially civic duties like voting. 

In the last presidential election, only 74.1% of veterans cast their votes. While slightly higher than the percentage of nonveterans who voted, this statistic means that one in four veterans’ voices are missing from the polls. Given the countless sacrifices veterans make for our country, their voices must be heard and counted. With veteran policy embedded in both presidential candidates’ campaigns, each vote will have a direct effect on the 18 million current U.S. veterans, their families, and all future generations of service members to follow.

Increasing voter representation also means it’s imperative to eliminate logistical roadblocks to ensure every veteran – and current service member – who wants to vote has the opportunity to. Active duty service members in particular may face barriers that make it more difficult for them to cast their vote. In 2022, 63% of active duty members were registered to vote, yet only 26% percent participated in the election. A large factor in this discrepancy is overseas deployments and domestic relocations. Most active duty service members spend months or years in training or on deployments that take them outside their home state, and often outside the country. The government has taken steps to help better support service members’ ability to vote through corrective initiatives like the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act. Unfortunately, there are still many who fall through the cracks. In the last midterm election, 13.8% of active military members indicated they had expected to get a ballot but did not receive one. These frequent relocations – and the varying state laws, administrative procedures, and lack of information that come with them – not only impact service members’ ability to cast their vote but often their spouses and other military family members of voting age as well.

Low military voter turnout is especially problematic because it means that active duty and veteran service members are not weighing in on the policies that directly affect them. Both the Republican and Democratic candidates have platforms that include policies which could shape the lives of veterans or active duty service members. For instance, there has been heightened discussion around the PACT Act, which provides veterans and their survivors healthcare and benefits if they were exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, or other toxic substances. Similarly, the candidates have brought the Post- 9/11 GI Bill into their campaigns, which assists those who served on active duty after September 10, 2001, in paying for school or covering expenses while training for a job.

The VA MISSION Act, which allows a veteran to visit a local provider if a VA hospital is too far away or the wait list is too long, has also been a frequent talking point this election cycle. Veterans should be paying attention: a recent Mission Roll Call poll found that, when asked which topics should be most heavily discussed during the 2024 election cycle, polled veterans placed the quality of and access to healthcare as their top priority. In the same poll, veterans ranked veteran homelessness as their second priority. U.S. homelessness is at its highest rate since 2012, with veterans making up about 7% of all homeless adults, even though they only represent around 6% of the total U.S. population. Exercising their right to vote is one of the best ways that veterans and their families  can ensure that their voices are heard and that the topics they care most about are taken seriously. 

Beyond veteran-specific legislation, this is a pivotal election, and its outcome will determine the trajectory of many policies that impact all U.S. citizens, veterans and service members included. These topics span from healthcare, foreign policy, and government funding to unemployment and retirement benefits. It is common for issues that affect millions of Americans to have a disproportionate effect on veterans, making their voice even more necessary in this opportunity for change. A recent MRC poll showed that 97% of U.S. veterans are registered to vote this election, indicating their commitment to making their voices heard. Come November, it is critical this high registration number translates to high voter turnout in order to share the veteran perspective. 

Although barriers to voting persist, the military community continues to work to increase veteran turnout. Beyond encouraging voter registration and helping service members attain and submit absentee ballots, there are initiatives that support civic engagement within the military community, like Mission Roll Call’s valued partner Vet the Vote. Their initiative to recruit veterans and military families as poll workers provides additional opportunities for veterans to participate in the electoral process and fulfill their civic duties. More than 160,000 veterans and military family members have been recruited by Vet the Vote to serve as poll workers in every region of the United States, demonstrating their commitment to upholding our Constitutional rights. 

There are many ways to get involved and amplify the veteran perspective this election season, whether through organizations like Vet The Vote or by simply requesting an absentee ballot, but it’s important to start talking about these opportunities now, before November 5. Each individual vote counts towards the collective veteran voice, and more broadly, to the American voice. This election year offers an opportunity for change – for service members, veterans, their families, and our nation. 

Every one of our nation’s service members takes an oath to support and defend the Constitution. Even after they retire from active duty, they can still help strengthen our nation by showing up at the polls this November and exercising the rights that they, and all those who served before them, fought to defend. 

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