Donald Trump and Gary Johnson tied for the military vote

The Military Times/ Institute for Veterans and Military Families Poll presents the first scientific study on service members’ voting preferences.

WASHINGTON, D.C., September 20, 2016 – Gary Johnson is locked in a statistical tie with Donald Trump among active-duty military personnel, as revealed in the Military Times/Institute for Veterans and Military Families Poll released today by the Military Times Media Group (Army Times, Navy Times, Air Force Times and Marine Corps Times).

The election poll, produced in collaboration with Syracuse University’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF), is the first of its kind among military service members who intend to vote in the 2016 presidential election.

The Military Times/IVMF Poll shows the Republican nominee and Libertarian candidate in dead heat if troops alone were picking the next president. The poll, conducted September 8-15, included responses from more than 2,200 active-duty, reservists and National Guard personnel. It is weighted to reflect the military population as a whole, with a margin of error of +/- 2%.

“The military is often talked about but rarely spoken to regarding its political views. And yet it’s these men and women who are serving in harm’s way, representing the American people overseas and carrying out U.S. foreign policy,” says Andrew deGrandpre, Military Times’ chief editor. “They have an important voice that must be heard as part of the national election conversation.”

The poll further shows Johnson is the clear favorite among military officers, with 38.6% voter support, followed by Clinton (27.9%) and then Trump (26%). Trump leads among enlisted troops, with 39.8%, support. Johnson a close second at 36.1%. Clinton came in a distant third with 14.1% of enlisted troops backing her candidacy.

For the complete breakdown of troops’ voting preferences, go to MilitaryTimes.com.

The Military Times-IVMF Poll follows the Commander-in-Chief forum which brought the two major party candidates together on what may have been the highest profile military-focused election event in history. This exclusive analysis is part of a broader reporting series set for publication this week.

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