Military veterans as election workers: Can they rebuild trust in vote?
As a U.S. military family, Ellen Gustafson and her husband have lived and served with plenty of people who 鈥渞eally aren鈥檛 similar to you.鈥�
And, she says, she likes that. Lately, she鈥檚 particularly appreciated not being stuck in an echo chamber聽鈥撀爃er social media feeds are filled with 鈥渁 lot of different political opinions. I鈥檝e always found it an incredible benefit.鈥�
Yet a midterm election season liberally populated with candidates who have signaled that they may refuse to accept the outcome聽鈥撀爑nless they win聽鈥撀燽acked by a number of voters who appear to support such sentiments, got her thinking.聽
Why We Wrote This
A story focused onAmid an estimated shortfall of 100,000 election workers, U.S. military veterans are increasingly stepping up to help. Some see benefits flowing both ways 鈥� to the individuals as well as to society.
鈥淒espite information to the contrary, people truly believe that elections have been compromised,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hat norm, that bedrock that we鈥檝e all agreed on聽鈥撀爏omebody wins, somebody loses, and we move on聽鈥撀爐hat is shaky.鈥�
She helped form an organization called Vet the Vote to encourage former troops to volunteer as poll workers, and teamed up with other veterans groups across the country to do the same.
It鈥檚 an effort to do in America what service members frequently have been called upon to do abroad: shore up the promise of fairness previously presumed to be inherent in electoral systems.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great group of people who know how to get their jobs done for the greater mission聽鈥撀爄n this case, democracy,鈥� says Ms. Gustafson, a Navy spouse.聽Though they don鈥檛 advertise their military background at the polls, vets bring skills from their service, supporters point out: They are schooled in small-group leadership, tend to take rules and regulations seriously, and have solid training in defusing situations in which people get hot under the collar.
In an election season in which a number of swing states have warned of poll worker shortages聽鈥撀爏ome 60% are over the age of 60, an age group particularly affected by pandemic health concerns聽鈥撀爄t鈥檚 a particularly vital endeavor, analysts add.聽聽
Americans鈥� trust in the military shaken by Jan. 6
Yet veterans acknowledge, too, that in the wake of former troops being involved in the storming of the U.S. Capitol last year, their presence聽鈥撀爓hich once may have inspired confidence in the electoral process聽鈥撀爉ay now be seen by some as a veiled threat at the polls.
鈥淚 think the view of veterans in America took a bit of a hit after Jan. 6,鈥� says Jeremy Butler, chief executive officer of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America.
The challenge is to make the process about civics rather than about politics, he adds. Jan. 6 鈥渨as not a good example of who we are.鈥澛�
Since the recruiting effort began earlier this year, veterans organizations have signed up some 65,000 of their ranks, putting a considerable dent in a national shortfall currently聽estimated at roughly 100,000.
Volunteering at the polls is a chance not only to show up for a country in need, Mr. Butler says, but also to demonstrate that 鈥渨e want to continue to serve honorably, and that we can have differences politically but come together to support our political process聽鈥撀爐he absolute antithesis of what happened at the Capitol that day.鈥�
鈥淭he most significant thing I鈥檝e done as a citizen鈥�
Retired Marine Corps Lt. Col. Joe Plenzler recalls that when he and his wife, also a retired Marine Corps officer, came home from their local polling station, they were deeply moved.
After years of mailing in absentee ballots because of various assignments and deployments, they had voted in person. 鈥淚t was so cool,鈥� Mr. Plenzler recalls, 鈥渨atching the rights you swore your life to defend being exercised by the people.鈥澛�
His wife later volunteered to work at the polls. 鈥淪he said, 鈥業鈥檝e got to tell you, that was the most significant thing I鈥檝e done as a citizen in my life,鈥欌�� Mr. Plenzler recalls. 鈥淚 said, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 a big statement聽鈥撀營 want to be part of that.鈥欌��
The training and work on voting day were 鈥渞igorous,鈥� he says. 鈥淚鈥檓 reading off numbers, someone else is recording numbers, there鈥檚 a tamper-proof case, there鈥檚 a paper copy of every vote. I鈥檓 like, 鈥業s this 鈥楾he Hunt for Red October?鈥欌�澛�
Getting more vets out to volunteer, it occurred to Mr. Plenzler, could be a way to convince skeptics of the integrity of the process. While he wasn鈥檛 inclined to such skepticism himself, it nonetheless 鈥渓eft me super-confident in how elections are run,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 walk away from that training and not be.鈥澛�
It鈥檚 an open question whether voters will have similar confidence in the former service members who raise their hands to help out on Election Day.聽
Trust in the military has slipped in recent years: 56% of Americans said they had 鈥渁 great deal of trust and confidence鈥� in the armed services in 2021, down from 70% in 2018, according to the Ronald Reagan Institute.
Still, that figure was far higher than for other public institutions, including Congress at 10%, for example.聽
Countering extremism, bridging divides
It is in part the esteem in which veterans are generally held that made their participation in the Jan. 6 attacks more shocking, says Katherine Kuzminski, director of the Military, Veterans, and Society program at the Center for a New American Security.聽
Those figures were relatively 鈥渟mall numbers, but they had a large impact,鈥� she adds. Getting vets to volunteer at the polls is a 鈥渨ay to demonstrate that the majority are good members of the community, invested in the health of democracy.鈥澛�
Civic engagement could also help counter extremism in the ranks among vets who find themselves looking for a sense of belonging after they leave the service. The search to fill that void can make them easy marks for extremist organizations anxious to take advantage of their credibility and affinity for camaraderie, analysts add.
鈥淭he post-9/11 community is always looking for more ways to serve,鈥� Mr. Butler says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a real opportunity to give back to the country and our fellow citizens.鈥澛�
It also helps to bridge a civil-military divide that troubles many veterans, adds Mr. Plenzler, who serves on the board of We the Veterans Society for American Democracy. 鈥淵ou take a step towards your community, and they鈥檒l take a step towards you.鈥澛�
Leaving uniforms and personal politics behind
Efforts to recruit nonpartisan poll workers are particularly important, analysts note, given that those who continue to deny the outcome of the 2020 presidential election are also calling on supporters to sign up to serve within America鈥檚 local democratic infrastructure.聽
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon is a prominent supporter of this so-called precinct strategy, which has also been endorsed by Donald Trump as a way to 鈥渢ake back our great country from the ground up.鈥澛�
The Vet the Vote movement anticipated that it would be associated with partisan attacks on democracy, 鈥渇rom 鈥楾hey鈥檙e militarizing the polls鈥� on the left to 鈥楾his is a bunch of lefty vets鈥� on the right,鈥� Mr. Plenzler says.
For this reason, the group has been deliberate in its nonpartisan choices, down to the color of its online swag. Everything from the water bottles to the tote bags is purple (a combination of blue and red), and there are no camouflage prints in sight. The idea, it says, is to distance the organization, and the vets who take part, from any militaristic overtones.聽
Roman soldiers left their red capes and armor in camps outside the city when they returned from war, notes Mr. Plenzler. 鈥淚t鈥檚 symbolic of our return from military duty to rejoin with our fellow citizens.鈥�
鈥淲e鈥檙e not naive or Pollyannaish, pretending there aren鈥檛 challenges,鈥� Ms. Gustafson says. 鈥淏ut we want to reconnect to this election, not by 鈥業鈥檓 red鈥� or 鈥業鈥檓 blue鈥� and 鈥楲et鈥檚 fight it out鈥� but by 鈥榃ow, we do this. Elections are what we do in America 鈥� and we鈥檙e the best at this.鈥欌�澛�
