Officials thank veterans for serving as poll workers this election, encourage them to serve again in the future

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Officials gathered Thursday morning outside the USS Orleck Pier to thank veterans and their families for their volunteer service as poll workers.

Vet the Vote, in partnership with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) held the event, which also educated veterans on how they can serve as poll workers in the future and why this work is important.

“Poll workers and our veterans protect our democracy in different, but significant ways. This event recognizes the importance of both these roles and encourages more citizens and former service members to support our elections and sign up to be a poll worker,” Donald Palmer, EAC Vice Chair said.

Vet the Vote is a national campaign to recruit veterans and military family members to serve as poll workers.

“Just as servicemembers answer the call to serve their country, poll workers answer the call to serve Florida’s 13 million voters. Veterans make ideal poll workers because of their dedication to training, their ability to work as a team, and their commitment to mission success,” said Secretary of State Cord Byrd.

According to a release, for the 2024 elections, Vet the Vote recruited over 163,000 veterans and military family members nationally to serve again in their local jurisdictions.