Reminder About Political Activities and Voting

The Nov. 4, 2025, special 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 in the state of California is Monday, Oct. 20, 2025. We also encourage you to be mindful about restrictions regarding using university resources for political activities.

ELIGIBLE VOTERS MAY

Register to vote at: https://registertovote.ca.gov/
Verify their registration status at: https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov
Confirm their polling/vote center location at: https://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/polling-place
Track their mail ballot: https://california.ballottrax.net/voter/

California law requires that every eligible voter in the state receive a mail-in ballot by default. Voters may submit completed ballots by mail or deposit them at designated drop-boxes and drop sites. For registered California voters who choose to vote by mail, you can return your mail ballot between Oct. 6 to Nov. 4, 2025, 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 (must be postmarked on or before Nov. 4, 2025, and received by your county elections office no later than Nov. 11, 2025). In partnership with the San Diego County Registrar of Voters, UC San Diego will host a ballot drop box outside of the northeast entrance to Price Center on Matthews Lane. Please remember that ballot envelopes should be signed and sealed before being deposited into the ballot drop box. For questions, comments or concerns, check sdvote.com or contact the Registrar of Voters at (858) 565-5800.

For registered voters who choose to vote in person, select vote centers will open beginning Oct. 25, 2025. All vote center locations will be open from Nov. 1–3, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. On Election Day, Nov. 4, 2025, all vote center locations and official ballot drop boxes will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Eligible students, faculty and staff who have registered to vote can vote at the designated on-campus vote center locations:

Bear and Red Shoe Room inside of the UC San Diego Price Center. Beginning Nov. 1, 2025.

The on-campus vote center location will accommodate eligible voters who wish to vote or to fill out a provisional ballot; it will also accommodate San Diego County vote-by-mail voters who wish to drop off their ballots. Finally, this voting center location will allow California residents to complete the conditional voter registration process to register and cast a ballot on the same day.

As a reminder:

Only citizens of the United States may vote in federal elections
Voting more than once, including voting in two or more states, is prohibited under federal law
Knowingly or willfully providing false information, including relating to name, address or period of residence, in the voting district for the purpose of establishing eligibility to register or vote is prohibited under federal law
In most states, individuals may only register to vote where they are domiciled, and they may not be domiciled in more than one place

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 Dr. Ashley Joseph, Director for Student Governments, Auxiliaries, and Services at: a6joseph@ucsd.edu. Faculty and staff should contact Kaitlin Chell, Executive Director of State and Local Government & Community Relations at: kchell@ucsd.edu.

University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093