(WXMI) — The Michigan Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force is asking the state’s colleges and universities to establish Election Day as a school holiday.
The request was made by the Michigan CSATF in a letter to the presidents of colleges and universities in the state. The goal is to further civic engagement in campus communities. It asks that the request be followed prior to the statewide general election on Nov. 8.
The letter also made the following recommendations to further student civil engagement:
- Encourage students, faculty, and staff to serve as election workers.
- Coordinate a campus-specific, informational voting and elections campaign.
- Enroll in the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge to participate in the Michigan Department of State’s Michigan Collegiate Voting Challenge.
- Authorize the National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement to receive GERPA compliant campus voting data.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson was one of the people to sign the letter. On Tuesday, Benson tweeted:
Proud to co-sign this letter with the Michigan Collegiate Student Advisory Task Force urging universities to recognize Election Day as a school holiday so Michigan students have more options to vote, serve as election workers, and be a part of democracy.https://t.co/kstihdChmw
— Jocelyn Benson (@JocelynBenson) October 11, 2022
A list of who else signed the letter can be found below:
- Rose Reilly (Public Affairs Committee Chair for Michigan CSATF)
- Adam Wit (President of the Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks)
- Jennifer Shuster (City Clerk of East Lansing)
- Heather Bouck (City Clerk of Mount Pleasant)
- Jacqueline Beaudry (City Clerk of Ann Arbor)
- Janice Winfrey (City Clerk of Detroit)
- Patty Patano (City Clerk of Dowagiac)
- Anna Soik (City Clerk of Alpena)
- Lynette Findley (Township Clerk of the Charter Township of Superior)
- Benjamin Marentette (City Clerk of Traverse City)
- Paula J. Herbart (President of the Michigan Education Association)
- American Federation of Teachers
- Landon Myers (Michigan Coordinator of Fair Election Center’s Campus Vote Project)
- Ryan Drysdale (Director, Impact & State Networks of ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge)
- Summer Foster (Co-Director of Michigan Voices)
- Tameka Ramsey (Co-Director of Michigan Voices)
- Aghogho Edevbie (Michigan State Director for All Voting is Local)
- Lisa Wozniak (Executive Director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters)
- Paula Bowman (Co-President of League of Women Voters Michigan)
- Christina Schlitt (Co-President of League of Women Voters Michigan)
- Nancy Wang (Executive Director of Voters Not Politicians Education Fund)