VoteVets
Launched in 2006, VoteVets works to “elevate the voices of veterans and military families through progressive legislative policies and electoral endorsements.” The group is best known for helping veterans win elected office, but its larger agenda is to mobilize the military community behind progressive causes and Democratic candidates, as well as to undercut the longstanding stereotype that Democrats are soft on defense or ambivalent about the needs of veterans and their families.
Why This Work is Important
Democrats still have work to do on veterans and defense. The stigma that liberals are “soft” on national security has dogged Democratic candidates for years and polling shows that voters continue to see Republicans as better able to defend the country from foreign threats. Similarly, liberals also are often seen as disinterested in the specific needs of veterans compared to conservatives. Bolstering support among veterans and military families is especially important given the ongoing falloff in support for Democrats among non-college voters of all races.
Veterans and military families are an important and persuadable voting group. With key elections often decided by razor-thin margins, Democrats have a lot to gain by increasing their vote share among veterans and military families, especially in certain battleground states and districts. Democrats have made significant headway with these groups in recent years by paying much closer attention to this community and promoting policies that help veterans. While veterans narrowly supported Trump in 2020, it was by a much smaller margin than in 2016. This progress suggests that further electoral gains are likely with greater donor investment in VoteVets and organizations doing similar work.
Veterans have unique strengths as both political candidates and organizers or messengers. The military is one of the few institutions in U.S. society that still commands public trust. Polling in 2022 showed more than half of registered voters liked candidates with military experience. As organizers or messengers, veterans enjoy a similar level of respect when doing direct outreach with voters and can get a hearing from audiences who might not be receptive to Democratic appeals.
Why Donors Should Consider VoteVets
VoteVets has a record of impact. In 2022, VoteVets says it orchestrated more than 800,000 veteran-to-veteran texts and ran a digital program that reached 19 million people, including 3.4 million veterans and military families. It also ran television ads in 31 media markets in support of veteran or national security candidates, nearly all of whom won their races. In Georgia in 2020, VoteVets identified 12,000 veterans that it saw as likely to vote for Biden and worked to ensure they turned out. It pursued a similar strategy in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Arizona.
VoteVet has built a powerful database for targeting veterans and military families, and it engages voters with tested messages. By working over years with different datasets, VoteVets has identified some 14 million Americans who are veterans or in military families and has developed the capability to engage them through digital, phone, and in-person strategies, including in specific legislative districts. It invests in testing to make sure that its messages are effective with voters.
The VoteVets offers a chance to directly support candidates. VoteVets makes it easy for donors to support Democratic candidates who are veterans or have a national security background by giving to its PAC.
VotesVets engages in policy battles year round. In addition to its electoral work, VoteVets works to shape ongoing debates on a range of issues, including foreign policy, the federal budget, and wide range of issues affecting veterans and military families.
Conclusion
VoteVets plays an important role in improving Democratic vote share with a persuadable part of the electorate, countering perceptions that Democrats are soft on defense, and electing candidates with military backgrounds. Donors who are keen to expand the Democratic coalition should give special consideration to VoteVets.