In an email to the DU community, the university announced that it will be offering three hours of paid time off for all university staff members on Nov. 3. This will allow staff ample time to vote in the U.S. general election. Staff will also be granted a “full flex day off.” It will function as a mental health day that can be taken on any day between the day of the announcement (Oct. 15) and Nov. 3.
The Faculty Senate passed the resolution on Oct. 9. In addition to offering time to vote, the resolution noted that the time off can be used to encourage voting and political participation by volunteering at polling sites, helping others vote or engaging with “other ways we might participate in the democratic process.” This ensures staff can still take the paid time off even if they choose to vote early.
The flex day will function similarly. Staff can spend the day simply for the “much-needed time to recharge or connect,” according to the email. However, this flex day can also be used for voting season participation.
To close the email, Chancellor Haefner and his co-writers (Mary Clark, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor, and Jerron Lowe, Interim Vice Chancellor for Human Resources) said that while the university encourages diverse political discussion and inclusive discourse, DU staff members must follow certain guidelines.
DU staff members cannot influence others in how to vote or who to vote for. Political activity cannot interfere with a staff member’s duties. Staff members cannot use university resources to “campaign for a candidate or issue.” Finally, the email stated that individual staff members’ political views do not represent and “should not be construed as being the official position of the University.”
Preceding this announcement, the Chancellor’s office had sent an email about the university community’s political participation on Oct. 12. Haefner and three members of university administration encouraged everyone in the DU community to vote.
The email detailed information on voting and election day protocols in Colorado. It noted that a Denver Votes Haul-n-Vote mobile voting center will be on DU’s campus Oct. 19 and Oct. 20, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. between the AAC and Driscoll Student Center.
The authors encouraged students not to be discouraged, stating, “As critical thinkers, it is natural to feel cynical or skeptical at times; but, as citizens of the world, we also can feel hope when we participate in democracy.”
DU’s announcement of staff leave and encouraging political participation arrives at a time when an increasing number of companies and institutions are offering paid time off for employees for election day. Colorado is not one of 13 states that currently offer paid time off on election day, but a recent PEW Research Center study found that there is widespread bipartisan support for making election day a national holiday. This support was likely a reason DU made the decision to offer paid time off during this election season.
These new referendums should hopefully allow community members to have a stress-free voting experience.
If students are not able to vote at the Denver Votes truck, ballot drop boxes are located all around Denver. Same-day registration is available in Colorado on Election Day if you did not receive a ballot in the mail.
