Frequently Asked Questions

Vote in Honor of a Veteran is a program that allows voters to post a tribute to symbolically dedicate their ballot to a veteran (living or deceased) in recognition of their military service.

Tributes can be dedicated to uniformed services members who are Active Duty, Reserve, Guard, Retired or Veteran.

When you submit your tribute you are symbolically dedicating your vote to a veteran, but you are not casting an actual vote in the their name or in your own name. You must still cast a ballot at your polling place or send a ballot by mail to your local election office in order for your vote to be counted in an election.

Submitting a tribute is not the same as casting a vote. 

While your tribute will be public, when you cast your ballot by mail or at your polling place, standard ballot secrecy laws still apply.

No, the Vote in Honor of a Veteran program is not connected to any voter registration system. It does not affect your voter registration status. To register to vote, request a ballot, or for any other voter services, please visit U.S. Vote Foundation.

If you need assistance with voter registration, please contact the U.S. Vote Foundation Voter Help Desk.

For the purposes of this program, we define a Veteran as anyone who has served, or is currently serving, honorably in the U.S. Armed Forces, whether on active duty or reserves, during wartime or peacetime. If the veteran is no longer serving, they must not have a dishonorable discharge. The individual being honored may be living or deceased. 

The veteran may or may not be alive. You may honor veterans that are living, deceased, Missing in Action (MIA) or POWs.

No. You may honor any U.S. veteran from any U.S. state or territory, as long as they served honorably.

No formal documentation or proof of the veteran’s service is required. 

All tributes are reviewed prior to posting. If there are questions, you may be contacted by our staff. 

Yes, voters are encouraged to submit multiple tributes! Each tribute must be completed and submitted individually.

Yes, you may highlight the same individual who served in two different branches by either (1) submitting two separate tributes, or (2) selecting one branch in the tribute and highlighting the second branch in your written tribute.

Yes, we encourage you to leave as many tributes as you wish!

Yes, as long as your veteran served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

No. The Vote in Honor of a Veteran program is intended exclusively to honor the uniformed service of those who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

Yes, you may submit a tribute to honor your own service. 

The picture is not required. If you do not upload a photo, a default photo for that military branch will be inserted for you.

Images should pertain directly to the veteran. For example, a profile picture of the veteran in uniform. Please do not upload photos which include political content or inappropriate images of any kind, and avoid pictures with minor children.
 

Yes, but please identify them within the photo in the text of your tribute. Alternatively, you may crop the individual out of the image and create a separate photo file.

Acceptable file formats include .jpg and .png only. The maximum file size is 5MB.

The Vote in Honor of a Veteran program is nonpartisan and not tied to any candidate, party or issue. Please do not include any information regarding your stance on candidates, issues, or party preference with your tribute. 

U.S. Vote Foundation and its US.VOTE initiative reserve the right to edit any submission and/or remove any inappropriate content or language. All tributes must pass the review process prior to posting.
 

There is no deadline, but we encourage voters to submit their tributes prior to an upcoming election date to inspire others to vote in that election cycle.

Veterans will not automatically be notified when you submit a tribute on their behalf.  Each veteran tribute will have a unique link that you can copy and send to your veteran and any others who you would like to inform of your tribute.

Tributes will be displayed for a minimum of one year.

Yes, we are happy to provide a link that you can proudly post on other social media.

Yes, please feel free to do so! This initiative is open to all eligible U.S. voters. We encourage individuals from veterans and other military-connected communities to participate in submitting tributes.

Vote in Honor of a Veteran programs exist in some states, but they are not universal. They are often run by Secretaries of State, local election offices, and veterans organizations. The state-level Vote in Honor of a Veteran Program is led by the National Association of Secretary of States (NASS).

Yes. You may wish to explore the Library of Congress' "Veterans History Project" if you would like to share the military story of your veteran. Additionally, if the veteran is buried or interred at a VA national cemetery, you may also leave a tribute on the VA Legacy Memorial web page.

No. Anonymous tributes will not be allowed. All tributes to veterans must include the name of the voter and the state where they vote.
 

No, your email address will not be published, and will be used only in connection with reviewing your tribute for acceptance and posting. 

By participating in Vote in Honor of a Veteran, your email address will not be added to any mailing list. U.S. Vote Foundation does not sell, barter, give away, rent, or permit any outside individual or organization to use or access personal voter information. For more information, please read our Privacy Policy.