Newsletter

September 2, 2025

Our Strategic Goals

★  Support Veterans and their Families

★  Defend our Constitution as Written and Amended

★  Protect the Nation at Home and Abroad 

Attention: Check Out AVV's Website and Join Us Here!

Bob Wood

CEO, American Veterans Vote

LTG (R), US Army

Keep the main thing the main thing helps us find and stay close to the center line when all is new and all options are open.  

Obviously, it’s important to decide just what is the “main thing!” For AVV, after settling on our mission, our goals, and our major issues, the main thing is getting the best candidates elected to defend core values and deliver results for Virginia and Virginia’s Veterans. All else is a distraction. What produces votes and what is simply noise? Our priorities stay tethered to this “main thing” as demands on our resources and energy grow in each election cycle. This approach saves us from going down every rabbit hole, joining every fight, making every argument, and being what we are not – not a better VSO, political committee, or consultant. We speak as Veterans, not for Veterans. We don’t seek to win arguments. We seek to win elections. Every Veteran, Every Vote, Every Election. Simple, consistent, powerful, enduring.

Why this brief AVV history? It is worth telling now, in this phase of election hyperbole and accelerating claims and counter claims from campaigns and candidates. Surveys abound, “experts” opine, media of all type fume and fuss. In the Spring and Summer there is a kind of grasping for relevant measures of political advantage – funding levels, verbal miscues, endorsements, donations. It’s only early September! The “glitz and glamor” and the “noise and fury” of high dollar electioneering create an incomplete and likely skewed impression of who might be the best candidate and just what change is needed. 

It is no surprise that poll numbers for opposing candidates are drawing closer as both choices and consequences get clearer. For eight months national news has been dominated by Washington, Wall Street, and World affairs. But in September, in a year without a Presidential race, voters always shift their focus to local and state elections that, in fact, matter much more than national elections to their community quality of life, kitchen table economics, family issues, and hometown security. They get back to the main thing – electing the best candidates to defend their core values and deliver results for Virginia and Virginia’s Veterans. 

AVV strongly believes that this is a pivotal year for Virginia. Will the Commonwealth succumb to the liberal nonsense and distorted core values of a Democratic party without leadership or sane policies? Will we become an East Coast California, a sanctuary state battling federal laws designed to enforce immigration laws, protect families, secure communities, and promote innovation and business growth? 

With the General Assembly controlled by one seat Democratic majorities in both the House and Senate, winning every contested HD race is crucial to defeat numerous bills parked in committee or poised to advance for a legislative vote followed by the signature of a new Democratic governor.  It has never been more important to keep the main thing the main thing! The statewide candidates for Governor (Winsome Earle-Sears), Lt Governor (John Reid), and Attorney General (Jason Miyares) stand as a last bulwark to sustain Governor Youngkin’s and his administration’s remarkable progress against the progressive madness.

What to do? Do not be distracted from the main thing by media overload, Email saturation, and opining by the chattering class. Consider only demonstrated performance and promises kept. Homework assignment here - Who has a record of consistent vision, necessary capabilities, broad experience, and moral character to truly deliver promised changes? Who are the best candidates to defend core values and deliver results for Virginia and Virginia’s Veterans? AVV believes strongly that the GOP in Virginia, its policies, candidates, and leadership answer this key question – and keep the main thing the main thing.

VOTE, VOLUNTEER, AND LEAD.

VETERANS FORWARD.

Bob Wood

LTG (R), US Army

CEO, American Veterans Vote

Please donate to AVV at our website

Inspiration Corner

“On the Seventh Day He Rested”

Michael B. (Yama) Hoyes

COL (R), USAF

We read in the Bible, that after God created everything, He got to rest: “By the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so, on the seventh day He rested from all His work.” (Genesis 2:2, NIV).

Annually in the United States, since 1894, we get to take time to reflect as a tribute to the labor force while reflecting on worker’s rights, past, present and future. The day marks the unofficial end of summer, and is associated with barbecues, parades, and retail sales. It is also associated with REST from labor. We get to rest from our work!

Please note the sequencing in both above examples…AFTER putting in the work and the effort, THEN we get to rest. And of course, following that rest, we resume work. For us as Veterans and those who support Veterans, we are all too familiar with serving. That service has been, and continues to be, part of our work. But we must also take time to rest and recharge. We “get to” work and we “get to” rest. We should be thankful for those opportunities.

On this Labor Day we remember the contributions of workers to the strength, prosperity and well-being of this country that we love. And here in Virginia, we also prepare ourselves for the 64-day march to Election Day. We might include during our Labor Day gratitude, moments where we thank our Founders that we “get to” vote, and we “get to” encourage fellow Veterans and those who support Veterans to vote! 

 "Get to" EVERY VETERAN - "Get to"EVERY VOTE

"Get to" EVERY ELECTION!

A Veteran's Perspective

The Data Doesn't Lie!

Arch Turner, Ph. D.

Retired Career Naval Aviator

AVV Data/Integration Director 

We Veterans are dedicated voters. Voting data confirms we vote in significantly higher percentages than our non-Veteran friends and neighbors – the difference varies from year to year, but is always significant and sometimes as much as 20% higher. The graphic below, based on our data set of more than 6,000,000 Virginia voters set illustrates recent all VET/Non-VET voting differences.

2020-2024 VET(All)/Non-VET(All) Voting Turnout

Veteran turnout is important as we comprise at least 10% of Virginia’s electorate. And the percentage is even higher when “Veteran Supporters” - family and like-minded friends are accounted for. Furthermore, our data shows our right and right-leaning Veteran colleagues (RVETS) outnumber those on the left by more than ~50% (~62% to ~38%). We RVETS can make a – the – difference when we vote in numbers.

However, this same graphic shows a substantial percentage of Veterans – and non-Veterans - vote primarily in presidential elections. We just do not vote as regularly in what are often referred to as “off year” – a term which belies their importance - elections. As just one example, following the 2020 election, you can see Veteran turnout in the 2021 election – which included Governor Youngkin’s campaign - dropped by 12%. That is a lot of votes. While Governor Youngkin won, his margin of victory was smaller than it could – should - have been. Similar analysis of several Virginia state senate and house of delegates district elections shows we might have won more seats – and maybe even those chambers - if more RVETS had voted in that “off year” election.

“Off year” elections clearly have consequences. Imagine what more Governor Youngkin would have been able to accomplish if we had won majorities in both the state senate and house. His efforts to achieve what we voted for him to achieve could have been even more successful had he not been required to deal with a democrat majority in those bodies. It was close, but we fell short. As a result, we’re one seat down in each chamber. What a difference a seat or two in each chamber might have made to Virginia.

This is why, looking forward to the November election, AVV is laser-focused on its goal of increasing the turnout of RVETS that our data shows often skip “off year” elections. To target our resources most effectively, we’re analyzing individual U.S. House and Virginia House districts down to individual precincts to locate those with the highest number of Low Propensity (LOP) RVETS - RVETS who have demonstrated a propensity to vote for the president but not dependably voting in “off year” elections. We’ve identified and are focused on almost 213,000 of these LOP RVETS – more than 36% of our RVET data set who voted in the 2024 presidential election but skipped voting in 2023’s “off year” election.

The table below shows RVETS voting in 2024 compared to 2023. RVETs are identified by Congressional District (CD). You can see that the CD’s with the highest number of “TOTAL” RVETS also have the most RVETS not voting in 2023 election. The top three Congressional Districts (CD09, CD06, CD05) account for over 90,000 “missed” - RVET votes. On average 40% of their RVETS voted in the Presidential year (2024) but failed to vote in 2023. Overall, in five GOP held districts (CD’s 1, 2, 5, 6, 9), only~ 62% of RVETS who voted in ’24 voted in ’23 – as a result, we lost more than 138,00 RVET votes. We just cannot afford to lose these votes again in this year’s “off year” election!

Summary of CD RVET Voting in 2023 and 2024 Elections

The table below demonstrates the same seemingly ironic trend. Virginia House of Delegate Districts represented by Republicans are nine of the top ten districts in term of RVETS not voting in the 2023 “off year” election. If shown in full, our table of all 100 Virginia House of Delegates would show 45 of the top 50 districts with the most RVET voters skipping 2023 “off-year” election are represented by Republican Delegates. In total, they account for 165,960 “missed” 2023 votes with an average of almost 2 of every 5 (39.5% to be exact) of HD RVET voters not voting in that election. The reason(s) for this puzzling phenomenon are probably unknowable, but it is our challenge to motivate these LOP RVETS to vote in 2025, no matter how; early, by mail or in person on Election Day.

RVET 2023 and 2024 Election Voting in Top-Ten LOP RVET House of Delegates Districts

(Columns 1&5 GOP District Control (33 Open District Race))

To make it easier to find and turnout LOP RVETS, AVV is carrying this level of analysis detail to each of Virginia’s more than 2,500 precincts. As a result we know the number of LOP RVETS in every Virginia voting precinct, and have the data needed to reach out to contact them. And we will!  

Anyone interested in more details is encouraged to contact AVV (arch.turn@gmail.com).  We are glad to discuss with, and or show you what we are doing and how you can help us achieve our goal of Every Veteran, Every Vote, Every Election.

Voting has become incredibly easy - Absentee with a mail-in ballot, forty-five days of early voting or on election day. Numbers Don’t Lie. RVETS are the Decisive Edge – but only if we all vote.

America, Virginia and AVV need you. Answer the call – Again – as you have before. Vote!

American Veterans Vote, Inc. (AVV) is a volunteer team of Veterans and Veteran supporters. We are a 527 Political Action Committee with a nationally-focused mission to promote the political power of Veterans and Veteran supporters in support of our three strategic goals:

• Support of Veterans and their Families
• Defend our Constitution as Written and Amended
• Protect the Nation at Home and Abroad

AVV’s goal is to help Veterans maximize their political voice by supporting Veterans’ ability to Vote, Volunteer and Lead.

"Every Veteran, Every Vote."

We don't speak FOR Veterans... we speak AS Veterans.

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