Come Join Us For A
Countryside Barbeque
Saturday, October 5th
5 to 8 p.m.
10501 Elys Ford Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
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Turning Out All Veteran VotesIt’s past time to get past winning arguments and concentrate on winning elections! There is too little time and too few minds to change before early voting begins. The Democrats will villainize Trump and scare voters with abortion tropes. The Republicans will pound Harris on inexperience, her policy flip flops, and progressive history. Down ticket candidates soldier on with no way to influence the battles that rage at the top of the ticket.
There is a grain (or more) truth in these arguments. But few if any committed Republicans or Democrats will change their vote. The battle, the race, the victory depends on how many voters leave the sidelines and vote – early absentee, early at the poll, or on election day. American Veterans Vote (AVV) is laser focused on turning out all Veteran voters, those who regularly vote and those who may choose to stay on the sidelines in an election with so much at risk. Two major points to make:
1. In Virginia, according to our most reliable data, Republican Veteran voters outnumber Democratic Veteran voters by 62% to 38%! We have the receipts. See last row of the table below:
2. A clear majority in Veteran voters is not equal to a similar majority of actual votes at the ballot box. So-called “low propensity” Veteran voters may choose to vote only in local elections or only in federal elections. They may have missed an election for any number of good reasons. Or, they may have found no candidate who earned their vote. Roger, over. These low propensity voters, when they vote, add new votes exactly at the margin where close races are won or lost. Their numbers are significant, especially in the particularly competitive races this year (2CD, 7 CD, 10 CD). See table below:
But adding votes in all districts is no less important for all candidates, particularly in statewide Senate and Presidential contests. There are no safe districts, races already won, or “hopeless elections.” For reference, President Biden won Virginia by 451,138 votes in 2020. Senator Kaine won by 536,057 votes in his last election. Veteran votes can make the difference across the Commonwealth.
Our task ahead in this year’s Vet2Vote program is to convince every one of these Veteran voters and those who support Veterans to VOTE. This is the argument WE must win, Vet to Vet. Every Veteran, Every Vote.
AVV is in a strong position (670 members statewide, regional teams, good alliances, and clear messages) to make this case to Veteran voters through digital and traditional media engagement, calling and messaging, and networked efforts with allied Get Out the Vote (GOTV) efforts. We are less able to blanket the state with teams knocking doors or making physical contact with all Veteran voters. This is where we must focus on the Main Effort. The Main Effort establishes priorities in resourcing, deployment, and actions key to success – in this case winning elections. And the turnout of low propensity voters is the Main Effort.
Now the real hard part. For the AVV staff, framing time demands, talent needs, key locations, and coordination priorities are just some of the planning responsibilities we will accomplish ahead as a team of teams. To AVV members, there are a range of volunteer activities, of different scale but all important, where your volunteer efforts will make the difference. But a reminder – we’re out to convince every low propensity Veteran voter to Vote – not every voter in the state. The goals of our volunteer effort are feasible, but still not easy.
AVV media and messaging ahead throughout September and October will concentrate on arming our Veteran members and supporters with the information necessary to effectively volunteer and help win through the ballot box. Our website will be the key coordination tool, our regional teams the most important networks, and our AVV members the decisive advantage.
VETERANS FORWARD
EVERY VETERAN EVERY VOTE
Bob Wood
LTG (R), USA
CEO, American Veterans Vote
by
Michael B. “Yama” Hoyes
COL (R), USAF
I am reminded of an “ancient” parental question… “if your friends did [insert a stupid thing], would you follow?” That’s a question with Biblical roots! After Moses received the ten Commandments, he also received instruction on other matters, such as laws of justice and mercy: Exodus 23:2, “Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong.”
As I was watching the events outside of the DNC, I thought of two examples of “crowd events” in the New Testament. In John 12:13, we read that a “great crowd heard Jesus was on His way and shouted, “‘Hosanna!’” ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’” A second “crowd event” happened just 4 days later! From Matthew 27:22-23, we read that when Pilot asked the crowd what he should do with Jesus, the crowd shouted, “Crucify Him!” “Why? What crime has He committed?” asked Pilate. But the crowd repeated all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
All Americans, but especially Veterans (and those who support Veterans) should be wary of “the crowd” formed by media, entertainment industry, and others. We, perhaps more than many, were trained to discern as we followed orders. I remember the first three steps in any aircraft emergency all too well: “maintain aircraft control; analyze the situation and take proper action; land as soon as conditions permit.” Look at how quickly the New Testament crowd was turned…they did not analyze the situation and of course, they certainly did not take the proper action.
We have the gift of technology at our fingertips…we also have the candidates record…especially at the top of the ticket. We have seen what both candidates have done and what the fruit of their efforts has been. This is unique! Use that analysis to take the proper action…VOTE…and bring others to VOTE.
By
Rocco J. Dryfka
AVV Member
Imagine that it is Election Day and you are on your way to cast your vote in-person, just like you have always done. You thought hard about the issues, and you want to vote for change. Sure, your candidate says awkward things sometimes, but his policies are solid – you need only to contrast the way things are now against how they were.
Your candidate could have had a comfortable life but instead chose to fight against incredible odds and injustices on multiple fronts, and literally spilt blood and treasure for the Republic – just like the founding fathers.
He became the man in the arena * and campaigned for your vote, while you went about your life, wondering how anyone would want to run for office. You thought to yourself, “thank goodness someone is willing to fight,” and all that was expected from you in return for his heavy lifting was your vote.
So now on Election Day you arrive at your polling station to find long lines. Something is wrong – the power is out or the machines aren’t working. You heard that some groups wanted to disrupt the polling stations. Hmmm.
It’s getting late and you’ve got things to do so you go home without voting, confident your candidate will win. But he doesn’t – he falls behind with every drop of mail-in ballots.
He ends up losing by just a few thousand votes. If only those polling station disruptions hadn’t occurred, your vote and others may have provided a different outcome. All that work by the candidate and others…squandered. Opportunity for a course correction… gone. Hopes for a better life…dashed. Will someone else rise to be the man in the arena to fight for our values in the future? Maybe.
But this nightmare can be avoided altogether by banking your vote. Instead of voting on election day, you should vote by absentee or early voting.
To vote by absentee voting:
Go to the website here. Click on the tab “Apply to Vote Absentee by Mail” and fill out the short application. Registrars typically begin to mail out absentee ballots 45 days prior to the election. Fill out the application and mail it in or drop it off at your registrar’s office.
To early vote:
Early voting begins 45 days before Election Day. Go to your registrar’s office and cast your vote. Find your registrar’s office here.
This election, let the opposition wake up to their worst nightmare – an energy independent republic with low fuel prices, secure borders, low inflation, good manufacturing jobs, rule of law, low taxes…and all the other things they find “weird.”
*Man in the Arena
It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
–Theodore Roosevelt, From his 1910 speech Citizenship in a Republic
SCAN THE BELOW QR CODES FOR MORE EASY WAYS TO REGISTER TO VOTE, OBTAIN AN ABSENTEE BALLOT, OR TRACK YOUR VOTE
American Veterans Vote, Inc. (AVV) is a volunteer team of Veterans and Veteran supporters. We are a 527 Political Action Committee with a nationally-focused mission to promote the political power of Veterans and Veteran supporters in support of our three strategic goals:
AVV’s goal is to help Veterans maximize their political voice by supporting Veterans’ ability to Vote, Volunteer and Lead.
“Every Veteran, Every Vote.”
We don’t speak FOR Veterans… we speak AS Veterans.
PAID FOR BY AMERICAN VETERANS VOTE
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