WASHINGTON, DC – In recognition of Military Appreciation Month, 2025, the Commissioners of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) commended our service members and reiterated the agency’s dedication to serving military voters and their families.
The EAC supports these voters by working with election officials to ensure they have the resources and information they need. EAC Chairman Donald Palmer, Vice Chair Thomas Hicks, Commissioner Christy McCormick and Commissioner Ben Hovland issued the following statement:
“Hundreds of thousands of servicemen and women voted in the 2024 presidential election due to the efforts of election offices nationwide. While 2025 is not a federal election year, state and local elections continue, and it is critical that military members understand how and when they can register and vote to have their voices heard.
"In communities where elections are ongoing, the EAC encourages veterans and military families to serve their country in another way by signing up to become poll workers. Their leadership, discipline, and commitment make them invaluable to strengthening the integrity of the voting process.
The EAC honors all our servicemen and women this Military Appreciation Month and year-round.”
The EAC partnered with the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP) on a Fact Sheet and a Pocket Guide to help election officials serve UOCAVA voters. These are part of the EAC’s growing library of resources for election officials.
Chairman Palmer has also interviewed two Secretaries of State with successful veteran poll worker recruitment programs — West Virgina Secretary of State Mac Warner and Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen. These videos, available on the EAC’s YouTube channel, are designed to help other states implement similar programs.
In recognition of veterans who have been poll workers, the EAC is co-hosting a poll worker appreciation and education event with Vet the Vote on the Battleship USS IOWA in Los Angeles, California, on May 15. This comes after a successful event on the USS Orleck in Jacksonville, Florida, in December 2024. Attendance included many poll workers from Florida and Georgia, five Florida Supervisors of Elections, three Georgia Election Directors, a Georgia Registrar, and Cord Byrd, Florida Secretary of State.
This June, the EAC will provide key data on military and overseas voters as part of the 2024 Election Administration and Voting Survey (EAVS). This survey, mandated by Congress, will include information provided by all 50 states, five U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia. This report will be used by the EAC and other stakeholders to better understand how to support military voters.
More information is available at eac.gov/uocava.
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The U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) was established by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). It is an independent, bipartisan commission charged with ensuring secure, accurate, and accessible elections by developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements, adopting voluntary voting system guidelines, and serving as a national clearinghouse of information on election administration. The EAC also accredits testing laboratories and certifies voting systems, as well as administers the use of HAVA funds. For more information, visit www.eac.gov.