(DePaul University/Maria Toscano)Midterm elections in the U.S. are Tuesday, Nov. 8. We will vote to fill all 435 seats of the House of Representatives and about a third of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate, in addition to many other state and local positions. As with all elections, U.S. citizens will determine who governs and who sets the legislative agenda for the next two years.
It is important each DePaul community member exercise their right to vote. The path to voting rights for all American citizens was long and challenging. Voting is one of the most important ways we can participate in our democracy: voting is one of the key freedoms of American life. When you vote, you join others who share your priorities and values in your district or county, and in this way, your vote matters when it comes to the results of an election.
It also is important the DePaul community engage in civil discourse and debate leading up to and after the election. People across the U.S. and in our own community can sometimes hold strong, opposing beliefs. Election cycles and associated campaigns elevate and sharpen political positions across a spectrum of ideas and convictions. As an educational institution that values open expression as essential to intellectual inquiry, DePaul is committed to providing a setting where we can engage in civil, respectful discourse across many important issues.
If you are a student not yet registered to vote or if you are registered but would like to learn about voting early, voting by mail or where you can vote in person,
visit this web page to learn about all of this and more.
If you are a faculty or staff member, remember paid time off is available to you to vote. D
ePaul observes the Illinois procedural voting law that allows employees two paid hours off work to vote in person. Employees should record their voting hours in BlueSky, choosing "Voting" from the drop-down. Questions may be directed to hrbenefits@depaul.edu.
Next Tuesday is an important day for us to exercise our civic responsibility to vote. I hope you will take this opportunity to be an active participant in our democracy.Eugene L. Zdziarski, II is the vice president for Student Affairs.