Instructions – “Get Out The Vote” Toolkit

As members of The American Legion, we serve as leaders in our communities by voting and by encouraging others to exercise their civic duty and right. To assist your post in promoting your community involvement as part of the “Get Out The Vote” initiative, we have developed an informationtoolkit to help ensure all citizens knowThe American Legion is there to assist them on Election Day.

  • Press Release: The American Legion will send a press release to national media on Wednesday, Oct.26, 2016, announcing its role in the electoral process and volunteer commitment to help others. To better ensure “Get Out The Vote” receives media coverage, posts are encouraged to send releasesto their local media outlets to highlight what The American Legion is doing on Election Day, services provided and information about polls and hours. A sample press release is included that can be localized. Suggested areas for editing are highlighted in yellow. Local releasesshould be delivered to media outlets on or near Monday, Oct.31, 2016, to ensure the media has plenty of time to announce your post’s plan and cover your event or services.
  • Media Alert: As a follow-up to the press release, amedia alert is an at-a-glance reminder of Election Day activities and should be sent out on Monday, Nov. 7, 2016. A sample media alert is includedwith suggested areas for editing and localizing highlighted in yellow.
  • Social Media Suggestions: Your post’s website and social media feeds can be used as a community resource leading up to the election. Be sure to post information on a regular basis over the next few days, and encourage members to share links with their friends and family. Sample posts are included for reference with suggested areas for editing highlighted in yellow.
  • Talking Points:“Get Out The Vote” is a national campaign. As such, it is important that all posts are communicating consistent messages to the media.Talking points have been provided to help ensure the campaign provides one clear, united voice that explains how The American Legion is making a difference and helping communities exercise their civic duty and constitutional right.
  • 3 Things to Make a Difference: This document outlines three simple ways your post can play a valuable role on or near Election Day.

As a reminder, The American Legion is a nonpartisan group and does not show preference for or against any particular candidate or political party. For this reason, if members of your post are volunteering at a polling station, they are serving as private citizens and should notbe wearing The American Legion cap. If they are driving people to the poll or working at the post, please encourage them to wear their caps so the community will know The American Legion is involved in the voting process. However, to remain nonpartisan, Legionnaires should not wear campaign buttons or make their personal views about candidates, parties and issues known in any way while they are engaged in nonpartisan activities for the post. Campaign materials or literature should be removed from any areas where nonpartisan activities are taking place.

More information about “Get Out The Vote” can be found at