The September 14, 2021 gubernatorial recall election is approaching and UC San Diego encourages eligible students, faculty, and staff to register to vote and then to exercise those voting rights. The deadline to register to vote is August 30, 2021. We also encourage you to be mindful about restrictions regarding using university resources for political activities.
ELIGIBLE VOTERS MAY
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, registered voters will receive a ballot in the mail. To reduce exposure of COVID-19, voters are encouraged to vote from the comfort of their home and cast their ballot safely by mail. For registered California voters who choose to vote by mail, you can return your mail ballot from August 16 - September 14 to any polling location, any mail ballot drop off location throughout the county, or simply drop it in a United States Post Office Box with no postage necessary.
For registered voters who choose to vote in person, polling locations will be open for four days in San Diego County. All polling locations will be open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. September 11 - September 13, 2021. On September 14, all polling locations will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Eligible students who have registered to vote as an on-campus resident (unless they have registered to vote-by-mail), can vote at the designated on-campus polling location in RIMAC Arena. The on-campus polling location at RIMAC Arena will accommodate eligible voters who wish to fill out a provisional ballot and will accommodate San Diego County vote-by-mail voters who wish to drop off their ballots. This polling location will also allow for California residents to complete the conditional voter registration process to register and cast a ballot on the same day.
The RIMAC Arena polling location will comply with all county and statewide COVID-19 safety measures.
Students: The Gubernatorial Recall Election runs concurrent with on-campus move in. Be sure to register to vote at your home address before the deadline of August 30 and do one of the following:
- Use Early Voting Opportunities at your local Registrar of Voters Office to vote in person
- Return your Vote-by-Mail Ballot before departing for San Diego
- Bring your Vote-by-Mail Ballot with you to San Diego to return in any of the places indicated above
POLITICAL ACTIVITY
UC San Diego is home to politically active and engaged students, staff, and faculty who are eager to make a difference on campus and in the world. As such, we remind faculty and staff about the University of California’s guidelines on political activities. UC staff and faculty are encouraged to be engaged and politically active. However, such participation and activities cannot be done on behalf of the university. Legal guidelines for UC participation in ballot campaigns and political activity are available at: https://go.ucsd.edu/2RTfvtZ. The use of university resources/funds for ballot initiatives and/or activities that might reasonably be viewed as partisan political activity is generally prohibited.
Individuals who improperly use university resources for political advocacy may be subject to disciplinary actions. Examples of university resources that should not be used for political advocacy may include, but are not limited to:
- University telephones, email, or websites;
- Letterhead or other university-printed materials; and
- University-linked social media.
In addition, wearing a UC San Diego name badge to a political event is not allowed.
If you have further questions, students should contact Heather Belk, Director of Associated Students Administration at: heather@ucsd.edu. Faculty/staff should contact Kaitlin Chell, Executive Director of Government and Community Relations at: kchell@ucsd.edu.
