Get Out the Vote Program: This is the Year!!! Doc Gibbs/SAL Americanism Chairman
This program was initiated by the American Legion a number of years ago including resolutions to become involved back in 2010. The Legion has a brochure available on their website at This will give you all the framework for planning that you may need to start your own Get Out the Vote program at your Squadron/Post level or above. All of this is nonpartisan in nature, favoring no particular political party or candidate. You can get involved a little or in a big way whatever your resources and volunteer strength may dictate.
Every action is helpful, even small groups of people organized to help voters get registered, or get to the polls on voting days, or help work at a polling station. Maybe your Post is used as an official polling place. That would provide the opportunity for you to be involved in many ways. Helping to make it accessible to all, providing help and assistance for more infirm voters to get in to actually cast their ballot, provide refreshments after voting, picking up those without transportation so they can come in an vote, etc. Even helping our military overseas figure out how they can do an absentee ballot this year.
There also is an entire page devoted to online resources to help you Get the Vote Out. That too is at the Legion website. A few are annotated and listed below:
- election dates and registration rules
affairs coverage of the 2016 elections
– are you registered, links to many other voting-related sites
– nonpartisan organization for elections and voting
- department of defense and absentee voting
– designed to engage and educate voters, candidates, voting records, etc.
The program can be whatever you have resources to do. It may be large and encompassing or small and merely connect individuals in your community to the actual voting polling places and right to the voting booths. Any and all, engagement is both needed and appreciated. Our duty as citizens is to exercise the right to vote and truly participate in the democracy that the forefathers set up. Only by voting can we ensure our future freedoms. Let no apathy abound, let no one say they didn’t know where the polling place was, or they couldn’t get to the polling place, help to eliminate any excuse for not voting and help your fellow community members actively participate in our society by doing their civic duty.
Voter turnout has been high in the primary voting, but the actual percentages of those able to vote are still at low numbers. Make the voting this coming November reach new highs in both total numbers voting and high percentages of those eligible to vote actually doing so!You are needed to help make this happen.