With only a few weeks until Election Day, veterans and military family members attending this past weekend’s NASCAR playoff races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway were encouraged to once again serve their country — this time as election poll workers.
In August, NASCAR partnered with Vet the Vote to support the non-partisan coalition’s national campaign, established to address the critical shortage of election workers in the U.S.
NASCAR fans from Nevada and beyond joined the cause and registered in the fan zone at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where NASCAR Xfinity Series drivers Garrett Smithley and Brennan Poole interacted with fans before Saturday’s race in support of Vet the Vote.
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“NASCAR has a long history of supporting our military community and is proud of the incredible service that so many of our fans have given to our nation,” said Eric Nyquist, Chief Impact Officer, NASCAR. “The need for veteran assistance at the polls is clear, and as part of the Vet the Vote coalition, we’re encouraging our veteran and military family fans to help fill that gap.”
America will need approximately 1,000,000 poll workers to effectively run elections in all states during this presidential election. In recent years, declining election volunteer rates have led to reduced number of polling stations, longer lines at the polls, increased stress on volunteers, and ultimately, more difficulty voting.
Through all its outreach efforts to date, including partnerships with NASCAR and Alpha Prime Racing, Vet the Vote has registered more than 162,000 veterans and military family members across the country — roughly 16% of the number needed to run election sites.
Smithley and his Alpha Prime Racing No. 45 Chevrolet Camaro were in full support of Vet the Vote on Saturday, running a special Vet the Vote paint scheme during the Ambetter Health 302. Smithley, the grandson of two veterans, had previously represented Vet the Vote at the Focused Health 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
On Saturday, Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar joined Vet the Vote at the Xfinity Series race, cheering Smithley and his pit crew on from pit road.
In the coming weeks, the Vet the Vote initiative hopes to raise the number of registered veterans and military family members even higher.
“Throughout the season, NASCAR has been a terrific partner in helping us address this critical need,” said Ben Keiser, Co-Founder of Vet the Vote. “As a true nonpartisan organization, our goal is to call on these patriotic Americans who have already served our nation to help support this critical mission at a time when we need them most.”
Over the summer, NASCAR through its NASCAR IMPACT platform joined a cohort of 38 national businesses and organizations, including the NFL, NBA, and Microsoft, in support of Vet the Vote.
To learn more about Vet the Vote and its efforts to recruit veterans and military family members as poll workers, visit Vet the Vote.