An instructor from the University of California San Diego provided her class with a “voting guide” that encouraged her students to vote for all Democrats.
The guide was posted on the blackboard site for the course “Latin America in the United States: Intersectionality and the Politics of Cultural Production,” with the title “Voter Guide for the Socially-minded.”
Under the link, the description reads: “This voter guide was put together by some good friends of mine in Los Angeles last weekend. A DSA lawyer and informed supporter of socially-minded candidates advised during the ballot BBQ. I of course encourage you to do your own research as well, but this may help for those of you who’d like a head start getting to know your candidates for office.”
According to the course description, the class aims to examine “the ways that Latin American subject matter is replicated, represented, and repurposed internationally and in U.S. contexts.”
A student in the class who wishes to remain anonymous for fear of retribution told The Daily Wire that the guide was “discouraging” and ostracized conservatives.
“At such a liberally-dominated campus, I have become accustomed to the berating of conservatives in the classroom,” the student said, “but when my instructor announced that she uploaded a voter guide onto the University’s course web page, I started feeling discouraged. As a Republican, I was of course frustrated at the lacking of evaluation of both parties and profound bias in the descriptions of why to vote the way she was defining.”
The guide was presented on a Google spreadsheet and gave reasons for voting for particular candidates, including “supports medicare for all — other guy is a Republican,” “actively fighting trump administration — opponent endorsed by GOP and NRA” and “endorsed by Planned Parenthood…”
Not a single Republican was endorsed in the guide.
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“Overall, my real issue came with her use of university resources to urge students to vote a specific way which is prohibited according to UC guidelines and policy,” the student added. “Too often I see professors ostracizing conservatives in the classroom and getting away with conduct that they should be held accountable for. I would never want to suppress someone’s freedom of speech in the classroom, but ultimately, I cannot help but find it inappropriate when professors use their position of authority to persuade young voters a certain way.”
According to University of California’s Office of the President website, the UC system is restricted from “involvement in campaign activities” based on UC’s status as a 501(c)(3) and as a state agency.
“UC may not endorse/oppose (or contribute to) candidates,” a presentation on the website states.
The presentation specifies that there is a “prohibition on political campaign intervention (electioneering) for/against candidates for public office,” including “making/distributing public statements supporting or opposing candidates.” The site adds that this policy is applicable to “Activities of University staff/faculty in their capacity as representatives of the University.”
UCSD and the instructor did not respond to a request for comment.