Navy veteran Susan Thaxton credits the military with helping her mature and become resilient. She was only one of about six women serving on one of the Navy ships she was assigned to during the late 1990s.
Thaxton says the military instilled the desire to always have a purpose. After she got out, she volunteered a lot and eventually joined the veteran nonprofit group The Mission Continues. The group helps veterans find places to serve in their communities.
“It opened my eyes up to how much I missed that, but also seeing how many veterans really miss that part of their lives too,” she said.
Now, with the critical midterm elections a month away, Thaxton has answered another call to help protect democracy as an election volunteer.
There is an estimated shortage of 130,000 poll workers ahead of the midterms.
“Our national campaign is to recruit 100,000 veterans and military family members to become the next generations of poll workers in this country,” said Anil Nathan, co-founder of We the Veterans.
The Vet the Vote campaign has already recruited some 60,000 military veterans to be trained as poll workers. It enlisted the NFL and more than two dozen other groups to help with recruitment.
Most poll workers are paid, and many counties have increased their rates to try and attract more people.
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