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Vet the Vote was busy last week for our official 2024 kickoff in Las Vegas! We were able to pack so much into just five days. We met some passionate, veteran and military family poll workers, active duty personnel, and some of the most influential people in the sport of football. Read more about our trip to Vegas below!
We started off the week by meeting with Clark County election officials to help kickoff their Presidential Primary Preference Elections. We started the day watching as the first voters showed up at a polling site west of downtown and spoke with several veterans and military family members who had stepped up again to serve their country and community as poll workers. At the end of the day, we had a chance to observe the excitement at Clark County Election HQ as polls closed and the first ballots started to arrive for tabulation. Overall, it was an inspiring “behind the scenes” look at how the entire process comes together thanks to the dedication of patriotic citizens. We celebrated one of those dedicated election workers, Jeff Martin, and his 26 years of service to Clark County elections by surprising him with 2 tickets to the Super Bowl donated by the NFL and presented by football legends, Grant and Jarrett Irons.
Wednesday, we spent the day at the Super Bowl Experience where it was Military Appreciation Day. We set up a mock polling station for football fans to vote on which team they were rooting for in the Super Bowl, who their favorite recent halftime performer is, and whether or not the hotdog is a sandwich. We also shared these polls on our Instagram and Facebook, voters at the Experience could see the results in real time on a screen in the booth. Those that participated in the polls were entered into a giveaway for a signed Maxx Crosby Raiders helmet! We were thrilled to watch so many football fans get excited to practice their civic duty and have fun doing so.
On a couple of occasions throughout the week, we spent time at Nellis AFB - first to participate in an NFL Salute to Service event for Active Duty personnel (with F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s screaming the “sound of freedom” every couple minutes!) and then to speak with the Voting Assistance Officer for all of the personnel and their families. The amount of time and effort that is put into ensuring the entire Nellis community, whether home or deployed, has the opportunity to exercise their right to vote was inspiring.
Throughout the week, we had the privilege of speaking to some of the most iconic and inspiring individuals in football, Bomani Jones, Kyle Turley, Chris Long, and even Coach Rob Mendez. We even got to sit down with Patriots long snapper and Naval Reservist, Joe Cardona! You can watch that interview here. We also met with fellow veteran service organizations, like The Bob Woodruff Foundation. One of the most exciting moments was when we were able to give a pair of Super Bowl tickets to a Marine veteran who has been working in elections for 10+ years. These tickets were generously donated by the NFL and presented by football legends, Grant and Jarrett Irons!
Our week in Las Vegas was one for the books. We always appreciate the opportunity to spread the joy of civic engagement and encourage our veteran and military families to continue their service by signing up to be poll workers. We hope by sharing our experiences, it will show you that not only is supporting democracy vital, it’s also fun. Learn more on how you can sign up to be a poll worker, check your voter registration status, or register to vote here!