By: National Coalition of Black Veteran Associations Staff
For Immediate Release (Available for re-print)
Date: December 28, 2025
The National Coalition of Black Veteran Organizations recently called on the NAACP, Black Veteran groups, and churches to initiate an online voter’s registration drive targeting Black Veterans. Charles Blatcher, III, the chair of the coalition, said “veterans have been a missing target audience for the traditional Black voting campaigns. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has joined the coalition in targeting veterans in their upcoming voting campaign. The goal is to increase the impact of the veterans vote in the 2026 Midterm election. The NAACP Veterans committee and Veteran’s Common Defense Association are planning a rollout of their individual campaigns in the coming weeks.”
According to Blatcher, there are an estimated 2.5 million Black Veterans in this nation who hold a direct association with voting rights. It is an overlooked fact that the government granted the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as a concession for Black participation in the Vietnam Conflict. Black GIs paid a tremendous price for the concession. From 1965 to the war’s end in 1975 Black Veterans suffered a casualty rate higher than the percentage of Black people in the national population. Using a multiplying factor of two to one, the coalition hopes to add an additional 2.5 million voters to the registration rolls. We are encouraging veterans to lead the registration efforts by encouraging all family members of voting age to register. We are asking Black Veterans to lead their families to the polls on Election Day.
The coalition campaign will commence on Dr. King’s Birthday, January 15, 2026, continuing through the year leading to the Midterm Election. Our campaign will differ from more traditional efforts. We will not have people standing outside grocery stores or business establishments asking you to register. It is too cold during the winter months in parts of the country to expect people to engage in that method of outdoor solicitation. We are advocating on-line registration. Forty-three of the fifty states offer computerized registration. You can complete the registration process at home in minutes. For those who do not have a computer at home, you can register using a computer at your local library. We are requesting the churches provide registration assistance for those not computer savvy in the congregations. Ask your minister to designate a group to supervise the registration process for all eligible voters in the congregation. Members who are skilled with computers can bring their laptops to help register attendees before and after Sunday service. Residents of Arkansas, Mississippi, Montana, Texas, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Wyoming cannot register online. In those states the church groups can register members using the traditional method before and after Sunday service.
In summary, please do not assume your minister, family, friends, and civic groups have read this article. The success of this effort is directly associated with spreading the word. We would appreciate you taking the initiative to forward the article with a note of support among your network of contacts. Please consider including it in your organization’s newsletter and church bulletin. Together we can make a significant difference in the 2026 Midterm and 2028 General elections. The campaign additionally provides Black and Brown Veterans with an opportunity to display the civic importance of their service. Please keep in mind few states have purged their voter lists. To assure your eligible for the upcoming elections, please re-register.
To register online search: Online Voters Registration 2026 followed by your state.
If you have any questions, contact your local NAACP Office for voters’ registration information.
##### Coalition contact information cnmmmf@aol.com #####
