2-14 CAV Squadron leads charge in voter registration

Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Carlos Davis | Voting Assistance Officer 1st Lt. Chase Cappo (middle back), assigned to 2nd Squadron 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, sets up a voter registration table with the FVAP banner at one of many training areas 2-14 CAV utilized at the Pohakuloa Training Area in Hawaii. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Edward Dieppa, Troop C, 2nd Squadron 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division)  

HI, UNITED STATES

11.09.2015

Courtesy Story

2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

POHAKULOA TRAINING AREA - Hawaii – More than 200 Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division took part in voter registration while deployed to Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) on the Island of Hawaii, Oct.-Nov. 2015.

Despite a rigorous training schedule, 2-14 CAV Voting Assistance Officers (VAOs) facilitated voter registration for over half of the deployed personnel during a two-day voter registration drive from Nov. 1-2, 2015.

Given the impending primaries and follow-on presidential election in 2016, affording Soldiers the opportunity to register to vote is mission critical.

In a garrison environment Soldiers operate on a routine battle rhythm which makes it easier to support voter’s registration. However, the deployed environment poses certain challenges for resources and communication, but these conditions only served to further motivate 2-14 CAV VAOs

For 1st Lt. Chase Cappo, the primary VAO for 2-14 CAV, the challenge and is determined to ensure voter readiness of the Squadron.

“As the Voting Assistance Officer for the Squadron, it’s my duty to inform all Soldiers on the importance of voting and to afford them the opportunity to register, no matter where they are training.”

Cappo along with 1st Lt. Edward Dieppa directed their efforts to bring the voter registration campaign to the Soldiers.

“It was a team effort to provide Soldiers with an opportunity to receive their ballot… whether they’re in the field or in garrison,” Dieppa emphasized.

A simple table complete with the FVAP banner served as a portable registration desk in the field where over 100 Soldiers registered to vote in order to exercise their constitutional right in the upcoming elections.
The registration event was considered a success largely due to command support and placing motivated personnel in the VAO duty position.

The Squadron Commander, Lt. Col. Jabari Miller, provides perspective on the importance of voting and encouraging all Soldiers to vote.

“[Leaders] have to afford our Soldiers the ability to affect their own futures,” said Miller. “We are voting for the very people that provide us resources, both monetary and materiel, to enable us to train and complete the mission.”

The right to vote is presented as a soldierly and civic duty, and Strykehorse Soldiers stepped up to accomplish the mission as always.

“This is my first time voting and I’m glad I have the opportunity to contribute to the Nation’s democratic process,” said Spc. Zachary Sabin, a Soldier assigned to 2-14 CAV.

While the hassles of deployment and the rigorous training schedule while in the field could have caused registering to vote to fall by the wayside, the dedication of time, resources, and motivation to the campaign made it a success.

• Date Taken: 11.09.2015
• Date Posted: 11.09.2015 16:20
• Story ID: 181475
• Location: HI, US