This article was updated at 8:25 p.m. on Nov. 4.

In response to classes being held at Binghamton University on Election Day, a petition has been created calling on the administration to cancel them.

As of Oct. 26, the petition has 1,291 signatures. Additionally, the Student Association (SA) presented a piece of legislation calling for a University-wide holiday on Election Day during a meeting held on Oct. 27. The piece of legislation advocates for the cancelation of classes on Election Day for the 2020 elections and beyond “in recognition of the importance of voting.”

“This resolution calls on the leadership of [BU] to recognize the importance of student voter turnout,” the piece of legislation states. “In doing so, they will not only improve the number of students who participate in voting but also send the message that they value participation in democracy and active citizenship. Creating a day dedicated to voting will also curtail the possible spread of [COVID-19] by minimizing crowding at the polls.”

According to Evan Clement, a sophomore majoring in political science and the organizer of the petition, the petition was created to address that New York state employees are allowed two hours off from work to vote if they do not have enough time to vote in the day.

Clement wrote BU’s cancellation of classes on Election Day could encourage other universities to do the same to promote civic engagement.

“Colleges and universities across the country such as the University of Utah, American University, Columbia University and many more have elected to cancel classes on Election Day because they are truly committed to promoting civic engagement on their campuses and understand the importance of voting,” Clement wrote in an email. “Cancelling classes on Election Day at Binghamton University, one of the most prestigious public universities in the state, could spark a movement leading to many other colleges and universities in the state and in the country, to do the same.”

According to Ryan Yarosh, senior director of media and public relations at BU, it is “critical” that BU holds classes on all days designated as “in-person class days.” Election Day, as well as Labor Day and Yom Kippur, were established as such and therefore, classes must be held.

“We cannot simply add breaks or we could fall short in providing the necessary class time our students are required to have and deserve,” Yarosh wrote in an email. “In addition, the University has traditionally held classes on Election Day, but students who are registered using their campus address have had the convenience and opportunity to vote on campus, as they do this year.”

This year, the on-campus polling site for students registered at their campus addresses will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at the Events Center. Voting was moved to the Events Center to accommodate for social distancing guidelines. Yarosh said larger shuttles will be running on-campus during Election Day to get people to and from the Events Center. All COVID-19 protocols will remain in place, as hand sanitizer stations will be available while students must wear a mask and remain six feet apart while voting.

Yarosh emphasized that students also have the option to vote early for the first time in a presidential election from Oct. 24 to Nov. 1. The four early voting locations in Broome County are the Oakdale Mall in Johnson City, the Broome County Public Library in Downtown Binghamton, the George F. Johnson Memorial Library in Endicott and the Taste of New York Building at the Cornell Cooperative Extension on Upper Front Street in Binghamton. More information on Broome County’s early voting hours can be found at broomevotes.com/earlyvoting.

If students want to ensure classes will be canceled on Election Day in the future, Yarosh said student groups are “encouraged” to begin discussions with Faculty Senate leadership.

Despite class being in session on Election Day, students enrolled in Public Affairs 225 / Philosophy, Politics and Law 280B: Foundations in Civic Engagement have found alternative ways to be involved. The course, taught by David Campbell, associate professor in the College of Community and Public Affairs (CCPA), aims to prepare students for engaging in their civic duties, including voting. According to Yarosh, 19 students in Campbell’s course have volunteered to become poll inspectors on Election Day.

Poll inspectors are expected to carry out various duties during Election Day, including issuing ballots to registered voters, monitoring the voting equipment and counting votes. Garrett Barth, an undeclared freshman and a student in Campbell’s course, volunteered to be a poll inspector. Barth said he had to partake in a three-hour training program with Sarah Knoell, operations assistant at the Broome County Board of Elections, who went over the responsibilities of being a poll inspector. According to Barth, he will be expected to stay at the Events Center from 5:45 a.m. until his class at 7:30 p.m.

Barth said he has developed an appreciation for poll inspectors while gaining insight into voting process and procedure.

“I decided to volunteer and become a poll inspector for Election Day because in [Campbell’s] class we talk a lot about using our ‘power,’ and I see working at the polls as an extension of using my power as a voter to enable others to exercise their own power,” Barth wrote in an email. “Additionally, due to [COVID-19] and other factors, many states and areas are being forced to close polling locations, leading to voter suppression. If by signing up as a poll inspector I could decrease the chance that polls would have to close, it seemed like a clear decision.”

For Dafne Hernandez, an undeclared freshman and a student in Campbell’s course, volunteering as a poll inspector personalized the voting process, allowing her to gain firsthand experience at the polls.

“During this time, I think voting is more important than ever,” Hernandez wrote in an email. “This is the first time I’ll be able to vote, but [I] want to do more than just that. I hope that by being a poll inspector I can learn more about the voting process and have this experience be something I remember in the future.”

While COVID-19 has restricted the University’s ability to cancel classes on Election Day, Campbell said he appreciates how the University has demonstrated the value of voting, specifically through various programs offered by the Center for Civic Engagement (CCE), such as helping students register to vote or showing students how to request an absentee ballot.

“I really embrace this idea that one goal of a college education is to prepare students for lives of active citizenship,” Campbell said. “What active citizenship means to me is that you really participate in community life. Voting is the most fundamental way in which we participate. We say, ‘Here’s who we want to lead our community.’”