Election Guidelines and Political Advocacy

As election day approaches on November 5, this message is being sent to encourage members of the campus community to exercise your right to vote. In California, the deadline to register for the election is Monday, October 21, 2024, but other states may have earlier deadlines. Students may register to vote to be counted in the ballot bowl. Employees can register via the California online voter registration portal.  

As a reminder to the campus community, especially staff, faculty and academics, the University has a policy on political advocacy and campaign activities. Employees of the University can engage in political advocacy and campaign activities during non-working hours only.

UC policy prohibits the use of university resources, staffing or funding for campaign activities that might reasonably be viewed as partisan or political in nature. Examples of university resources that should not be used include, but are not limited to, the use of:

• University email or telephones, including University-issued cell phones 
• Letterhead or other university-printed materials 
• University-linked social media and/or websites
• University-issued Zoom accounts 
• Facilities

Use of these university resources could constitute a policy violation or a violation of applicable laws; the best practice is, therefore, not to use them for political campaigning at all.

Registered student organizations may sponsor political events if university resources are not used, facility use fees are paid, and the event complies with the university’s major events policy. University institutes, centers, colleges, schools, and departments cannot sponsor such events.

Additionally, it is not permissible to use one's university title in printed materials in support of a candidate or ballot initiative. UC has developed guidelines, along with FAQs, that are intended to assist in drawing the distinction between legitimate informational activities and unlawful campaign activities.

Finally, please be aware of this section of the UC guidelines: “It is important to draw a distinction between prohibited political activities on the one hand, and instruction and research on politically related subjects on the other. Certainly, scholarly instruction and research on politics is not only appropriate but desirable. Furthermore, it is important to reaffirm that the prohibition on political activity does not restrict individual members of the University community from exercising all political rights afforded to them as members of society. The University encourages members of the UC community to exercise their right to participate in the political process in their personal capacity. However, individuals should take care to ensure that their personal activities in connection with supporting or opposing particular candidates for public office or ballot measures are not done using University time, do not make use of University resources (including facilities and equipment) and cannot reasonably be interpreted as official statements of the University.”

Here is additional guidance from the UCOP Office of General Counsel. If you have questions or are not sure about restrictions on political activities within the workplace, please contact the Office of Government and Community Relations at gcr@berkeley.edu.