Op-Ed: Voting in honor of a veteran grows in popularity

Every election, Americans are asked who they will vote for. This year, we hope they will consider another question: which military veteran or member of the armed services are you honoring with your vote?

Voting in honor of a veteran and service-member is an established tradition that is rapidly growing in popularity across much of the country. This year, Vet the Vote and U.S. Vote Foundation are joining together to encourage more of our fellow citizens to participate in this patriotic program inside their own communities.

The decisions we make at the ballot box have far-reaching consequences for our communities, our country, and the world. Whether it’s a local school board election or a presidential race, your vote matters. It’s your chance to influence the direction of our nation, to stand up for the issues you care about, and to hold our leaders accountable. But more than that, voting is an act of respect for those who have served. It’s a way of saying, “I value what you’ve done for this country, and I’m committed to doing my part to ensure that the freedoms you fought for are preserved for future generations.”

Currently 16 states, along with counties in Florida and South Carolina, run programs where voters can indicate that they are voting for a veteran or service-member. In 2024, two states, New Hampshire and Mississippi, launched new Vote in Honor of a Veteran programs. Voters often receive a pin, certificate, or other memento to acknowledge their act of commemoration, and many jurisdictions record the names and stories of those being honored. Such tributes form lasting memorials to individuals who served our country.

Vote in Honor of a Veteran programs expanded across the country in the early aughts. U.S. Vote Foundation continually highlighted these programs through their website and this year we have collaborated on a dedicated campaign to support the cause. While we have been thankful to see election officials of both parties continue to support these programs, we are also eager to see the programs proliferate in more states across America.

For Americans, voting is at once deeply personal and an act of shared citizenship. Voting in honor of a veteran or service-member is a powerful act to reinforce this dual experience of voting. We pay tribute to the veteran or service member as an individual, but we also celebrate their service to America, the nation which binds us all together.

Vote in Honor of a Veteran programs remind us that as Americans, we have much more in common than what divides us. As Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows put it, “As the granddaughter of a WWII veteran, I am so moved by the vote in honor of a veteran program. Veterans gave much – indeed some servicemembers sacrificed all – to promote democracy around the world. It is fitting that on Election Day we honor them and those sacrifices.” The meaning of these sacrifices is especially poignant this year as we observed the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion.

We hope this year that election offices and polling locations will be filled with stories and tributes to those who have worn the uniform. Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson, who recently launched a Vote in Honor of a Veteran program, is voting in honor of Kerry Yarbaugh and Peter Pierce.

States and counties interested in launching a Vote in Honor program can contact Vet the Vote or U.S. Votes Foundation by visiting US.vote/honor-veteran. We are eager to help new communities establish their programs. Our two organizations will also be lifting up existing programs from across the country, to showcase the incredible dedication shown by so many.

We conclude with the words of Abraham Lincoln, who once said, “Honor to the soldier and sailor everywhere, who bravely bears his country’s cause. Honor, also, to the citizen who cares for his brother in the field and serves, as he best can, the same cause.” This year we can all serve the same cause by voting in honor of a veteran or service-member.