Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen delivered on another campaign promise today with the launch of the “Heroes at the Polls” initiative.
“Safe, secure, and transparent elections are the foundation of our constitutional republic. Administering this type of election is no small responsibility.” said Secretary Allen. “On the campaign trail, I promised to set into motion a program that recruits our veterans to continue their service to their country by serving as poll workers. This is that program. Our veterans have defended our constitutional right to vote time and again. This makes them uniquely qualified to safeguard election integrity as voters exercise their constitutional right.”
Heroes at the Polls encourages veterans to request to be appointed as a poll worker and attend poll worker training administered by each of Alabama’s probate judges prior to each election. After training, they will serve as poll workers at a location designated by their local probate judge.
“Poll workers are essential members of the election administration team. They work hard from sun up to sun down on election day at every polling place across our state. The integrity, patriotism, and strong work ethic required for military service make our veterans ideal candidates to serve as poll workers.” said Secretary Allen. “As Secretary of State, I will always support our hardworking election officials across the state and ensure they have everything they need to administer the safest and most secure elections in the country.”
Veterans who are interested in participating in the Heroes at the Polls program should contact their local probate judge or apply to be appointed as a poll worker by navigating to the Election Information tab at www.alabamavotes.gov.
Wes Allen is Alabama’s 54th Secretary of State. The Secretary of State is Alabama’s Chief Elections Official. Additionally, Alabama law gives the Secretary of State more than 1,000 different duties. To learn more about the Secretary of State and his responsibilities and duties visit www.sos.alabama.gov.
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*Heroes at the Polls reference sheet: https://www.sos.alabama.gov/sites/default/files/press/heroes-at-the-Polls.pdf
* Alabama Poll Worker Application: https://www.sos.alabama.gov/sites/default/files/PollWorkerApplication.pdf
* This program has garnered support and enthusiasm from probate judges, veterans, and military service members alike. Please see the following page for quotes from those individuals.
“As a veteran, it was my pleasure to serve my country and help preserve the right to vote. I would encourage all veterans to exercise their right to vote. In addition to voting, I would also encourage my fellow veterans to continue to serve their country by becoming a Poll Worker for the upcoming 2024 election.”
- Nick Williams, U.S. Navy Veteran and Washington County Judge of Probate
"Combat veterans, perhaps more than anyone else, understand the importance of the right to vote. It is a fundamental freedom that we have as Americans to make our views known and heard through the ballot box. Protecting that freedom, and ensuring it for our posterity, is what we fought for. We can never surrender it. Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars have served in places where the right to vote is a ridiculous fantasy. We encourage all citizens, of all political persuasions, to vote in all elections – local, state, and federal. Men and women of our armed forces have fought and died to secure that right. We honor them when we cast our vote for the candidates of our choice."
-Danny Sample, COL (R), US Army, Iraqi Veteran, Commander, Department of Alabama Veterans of Foreign Wars
“Growing up, my grandmother always told me that it’s not just a right to vote, but, as a citizen it’s your obligation to your country. While deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan, my units performed missions to ensure that the citizens of those countries were afforded the opportunity to vote in a safe, secure, and legitimate election. As a retired service member, I reflect on the words of my grandmother and the work we did in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and believe that if we are offered an opportunity to participate in a program such as ‘Heroes at the Polls’ we should do it.”
-Robert Schmidbauer, Chief of Staff, Department of Alabama VFW
“Since the time of our US Forefathers, veterans have secured the American people's right to vote for our elected representatives. With the Heroes at the Polls initiative, started by Secretary of State Wes Allen, we veterans continue to assist by volunteering our time to aid in the right to vote and serve as poll workers in our great State of Alabama. As an Iraq war combat veteran, watching the women of Iraq risking their lives and the lives of their families to cast a ballot, we do not take this responsibility lightly as it illustrates just how important it is to participate in the election process.”
- Robert C. Carr, Commander, Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, Smith-Wynn Post 96
Link to Secretary of State Wes Allen's headshot: https://www.sos.alabama.gov/sites/default/files/inline-images/AllenBioHighRes.jpg
