Veterans Defend Democracy at Home

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Andrew Newby, 39, can’t be pigeonholed. He was raised in the hill country of northern Alabama but speaks with no discernible regional accent. He’s a passionate poet—and a Marine veteran. He doesn’t want government to tell him he can’t buy a hunting rifle at Walmart but strongly supports government paying for school lunches for kids who need them.

Like 60% of his fellow military veterans, Newby is an independent voter. So when discussions arose in Alabama about changes to the primary system that would restrict participation by independents, he felt a strong call to civic action. He engaged with community forums to educate fellow veterans across Alabama on how the proposed changes would impact voter choice. “The idea that they were gonna make me register with a political party to be able to vote defies reason,” he said. “The founders did not include parties in the Constitution. It gets in the way of good governance.”

Protecting Democracy on the Homefront

Newby is a member and leader of a new cadre of veteran volunteers for the nonprofit Veterans for All Voters (VAV), whose tagline is “Veterans called to serve again—to fix politics here at home.”

VAV is just six years old but has already built a network of veteran and military family volunteers in all 50 states. It now has more than 8,000 members—up from 6,000 only a year earlier. “Many veterans see a political system that rewards division and shuts everyday people out,” said VAV CEO Alberto Ramos, who served in the U.S. Navy as a lt. commander on fast-attack submarines. “VAV gives them a nonpartisan way to step back into the arena and help build a system that puts voters first.”

Ramos and his small but mighty team are helping veterans around the country play the role of “grassblades” leaders in their communities, meaning they operate at both the grassroots and grasstops levels. He believes that veterans are uniquely equipped to do this because they embody the ethic of service above self. In fact, at a time when trust in almost every institution is depressingly low, veterans rank among the most trusted groups in American life.

VAV’s leaders advocate for systemic reforms to foster “a healthy and truly representative American republic, facilitated by competitive elections, where all citizens are both incentivized and excited to participate.”

VAV has earned a champion in Wendy Feliz, managing director, Democracy at the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation (AMBFF). “VAV is committed to engaging veterans in the important work of strengthening democracy at home,” Feliz explained. In 2025, AMBFF provided VAV with a two-year grant of $800,000 to strengthen its work across the nation.

Into the Breach

Lisa Feret, 36, enlisted in the Air Force when she was just 17. She became a military police officer, providing security for military assets—including nuclear weapons—and personnel. Unfortunately, she suffered serious back injuries on the job and left military service at age 21.

But Feret was not done serving others. Despite her disability, she went on to provide humanitarian aid in global hot zones, such as Japan after the Fukushima nuclear disaster. And then, in 2024, she ran for and won a seat in the Colorado House of Representatives, with encouragement from the VAV community.

Soon after Feret was sworn in, she helped establish a bipartisan Veterans Caucus in the Colorado House and Senate. “It’s hard to see our country so divided after we sacrificed ourselves for our country,” Feret said. “Veterans can set the tone for how to be a leader, work together, and disagree agreeably. I felt if we set an example, others will follow.”

Last year, disabled veterans from both parties came together to support a bill on veteran benefits. “We had people trying to kill the bill to keep the for-profit companies handling disability claims, even if it ultimately hurt the veteran,” recounted Feret. “Veterans Caucus members from both parties protected the bill, ultimately leading its passage.”

A More Results-Oriented Democracy

VAV believes tens of thousands more veterans could answer the call to duty in their communities. “This past year has been amazing for us,” VAV CEO Ramos shared. “Every day I get inspired by how veterans are using their credibility to demand a better, fairer, and more results-oriented democracy. There’s nothing that gives me more hope.”