National Survey: Voters and Military Reciprocity

A Survey That Should Change How Every State Official Thinks About This Issue

In September 2022, ASPIRE Coalition member Merit partnered with Embold Research to survey registered voters nationwide on military reciprocity. The question at the center of the research: what do ordinary Americans actually think about the barriers military spouses face when it comes to using their professional licenses across state lines?

The answer, across party lines and military affiliation, was overwhelming. It turns out that helping military spouses work in the jobs they trained for is not a niche advocacy issue. It is a mainstream voter priority with genuine electoral weight. And when you layer in what federal data has since confirmed about the scale and persistence of the problem, the case for action becomes impossible to ignore.

Policymakers, licensing directors, and governors’ offices take note: this is not just the right thing to do. It is what voters are demanding.

Voters Already Understand the Problem

One of the most striking findings in the survey is not just that voters support military reciprocity. It is that they already intuitively understand why the problem exists.

93% of voters agree that it is hard to find a new job when you move frequently, and that we need to make it easier for military spouses to find new work. Sixty-six percent agreed strongly.^[1]

This is not a remote policy abstraction for most Americans. Military families are woven into communities across the country. Every state has military installations, veterans, and spouses navigating relocation. The survey confirms that voters see the human reality of the problem clearly.

Beyond the personal dimension, 90% of voters view labor shortages and job security for military spouses as highly salient issues. And an overwhelming 97% agree that in a country facing shortages of teachers, doctors, and nurses, states need access to the best available talent regardless of where that talent relocated from.

This Is Not a Left or Right Issue. It Is an American Issue.

Political consensus on anything is increasingly rare. That makes the survey’s findings on bipartisan support for military reciprocity all the more meaningful.

6 in 10 voters overall are much more likely to vote for political candidates who support allowing military family members to work using their professional licenses from another state.^[1]

The breakdown by party reveals strong support across the political spectrum:

• Republican voters: 69% are more likely to support pro-reciprocity candidates
• Democratic voters: 54% are more likely to support pro-reciprocity candidates
• Independent voters: 46% are more likely to support pro-reciprocity candidates

For state legislators calculating the political upside of supporting military reciprocity, the survey makes a compelling case. This is not a position that fires up one base at the expense of another. It is a position that earns broad credit across the electorate.

The momentum among states is real and accelerating. More than 44 states have already passed license reciprocity rules for military spouse attorneys alone, following federal mandates that expanded coverage to all professions in December 2024. Physical therapy compacts are active in more than 30 states. Emergency medical services compacts cover 24 states. The voters are not waiting for the remaining legislatures to catch up.

Financial Insecurity Is Not an Abstract Concern

Behind the polling data are real household budgets under real pressure. The survey found that 80% of American voters believe military families face at least some financial insecurity. This concern does not belong only to those with direct military connections.

• 42% of voters believe military families are somewhat secure but sometimes struggle to pay bills
• 38% believe the financial situation of military families is outright insecure, with frequent difficulty covering bills
• Only 10% believe military families are in a fully secure financial position

Perhaps most tellingly, 67% of voters with no active duty or veteran family member still believe it is very important that military families are able to earn a sustainable income. The concern for military family economic stability runs well beyond the military community itself.

Federal data reinforces what voters intuit. The 2024 DoD Spouse Survey found that 28% of military spouses needed a new professional license after their most recent PCS move.^[7] For a family that relocates every two to three years, that is a recurring financial disruption built into the structure of military life itself.

There is also a readiness dimension that rarely surfaces in public debate. Research shows that when a spouse actively supports their service member staying in the military, that service member is seven times more likely to remain in service.^[8] Spouse employment is not a side issue. It is a force retention issue. The survey data suggests voters are ready to be led on this.

Voters Are Ready for Digital. The Technology Is Already Here.

The survey did not just surface the problem. It also pointed to the solution. When asked about digital licenses and interstate professional license reciprocity, voters expressed strong, technologically forward-thinking support.

• 84% of voters support allowing military families to use their professional licenses across state lines
• 73% support using technology to allow licensed professionals to use digital versions of their licenses
• Among voters aged 18 to 34, 66% already opt for digital over paper documentation in everyday life
• Among voters aged 35 to 49, 56% prefer digital documentation when given the choice

This generational embrace of digital credentialing matters. The workforce of the next twenty years expects systems that move at digital speed. States that invest now in digital license verification and reciprocity infrastructure are not just solving today’s problem. They are building the foundation for tomorrow’s workforce.

This is precisely what Aspire Technologies delivers: a purpose-built digital platform that enables states to verify out-of-state professional licenses in real time, process SCRA applications within the federally mandated 30-day window, and give military spouses a seamless, self-service experience that reflects the digital-first world they already live in.

The Data Is In. The Voters Are Waiting. The Technology Is Ready.

The Merit and Embold Research survey is one of the clearest mandates in recent policy research: Americans across every party affiliation and every relationship to military service want this problem solved. They want military spouses to be able to work in the fields they trained for. They want states to use modern digital tools to make it happen. And they are paying attention to which candidates and which governors step up.

States like Mississippi have already demonstrated the kind of executive leadership that voters reward. The question for every other state is straightforward: the public is ready, the federal law requires it, the technology exists, and the political upside is real. What is the plan?

Aspire has answers for every part of that question.

If your state is ready to turn voter mandate into working policy, Aspire Technologies is ready to partner.

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