Study Finds Veterans and Military Family Members Improve Election Confidence at the Polls
When veterans and military family members (VMF) serve in election jobs, including as poll workers, they play a critical role in strengthening public trust in elections, finds a new study by the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement (CDCE) and nonprofit partner We the Veterans and Military Families.
According to CDCE’s August 29-September 9, 2024 survey of a national sample of 1,263 voting-age U.S. citizens, involvement from veterans and military families increases voter confidence in the fairness, security, and safety of the voting process.
To reveal these findings, the study randomly assigned survey participants to read one of two scenarios in Maricopa County, Arizona—a place where election administration was under close scrutiny in 2020. One scenario described the area making efforts to recruit local VMF to serve in election jobs, and the other described standard election worker recruitment from the local community. Several key findings emerged from the study:
Increased Confidence in Election Accuracy
One of the standout results was a 7% increase in the number of people who expressed confidence that votes would be counted as intended when they knew VMF were part of the election workforce. The increased confidence among those who were presented with the VMF scenario was even more pronounced among respondents who said that they previously doubted the legitimacy of Joe Biden's election—such respondents had 15% more confidence than those presented with the standard recruitment scenario.
The survey also showed that recruiting veterans and military families improved election officials' approval ratings. Overall approval ratings increased by 5%, with an 8% increase in those expressing "strong approval" of election officials when veteran recruitment was mentioned.
Participants informed about VMF recruitment were also 9% more likely to believe that election workers would be "very committed" to making sure the elections held this November are fair and accurate.
Lowered Concerns About Possible Violence
Concerns about potential violence, threats, and intimidation at polling places was significantly reduced among the VMF scenario respondents, with 8% fewer participants expressing concern about these risks compared to those who were told that the county was just recruiting poll workers from the local community.
"That sizable portions of the public lack confidence in our elections is a serious problem," Michael J. Hanmer, a professor in UMD’s Department of Government and Politics and Director of the CDCE, said in a release about the study. "Our study provides powerful evidence that recruiting veterans and military family members to work at polling places not only strengthens public trust in the process but also addresses concerns about potential threats to election security and violence at the polls."
Considerations for the Future
The researchers say that recruiting veterans and military families into the election workforce can lead to positive outcomes, such as improved voters' confidence in election integrity and reduced concerns about the potential for violence, and that election officials who are recruiting veterans and military family members should act on and publicize this fact.
Doing so would be well received, the survey found. Seventy-seven percent of respondents indicated they would like their own communities to adopt similar VMF recruitment strategies.
"This study confirms our hypothesis that veterans and military families - who have already demonstrated their unwavering commitment to our country - serving as poll workers help to strengthen public confidence in elections,” said Ben Keiser, Co-Founder of We the Veterans and Military Families and a 2000 alum of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice. “We encourage election officials nationwide to actively recruit veterans and military family members to be part of this essential civic duty.”
The survey also tested other recruitment groups, such as lawyers and college students, but still found that veterans were more likely to inspire public confidence in election integrity.
“Veterans as a group might also inspire thoughts and feelings about people you know and likely care about,” said Gregory Isaiah Espinoza, Research Fellow, CDCE, and a Marine Veteran. “There might be less concern over fairness and accuracy of elections when it is put in the hands of people who are assumed to be like the veterans you know and trust, and ease safety concerns given the knowledge that veterans are a known group of people who have all, at one point in time, taken an oath to defend the U.S. Constitution, and to bear true faith and allegiance to the same.”
This article by Daniel Davis originally appeared on the Department of Government and Politics website.
The photo is by iStock.
Published on Fri, Nov 1, 2024 - 9:28AM