Hi Signers, 

An update since my last message. With less than a week to go, it is becoming clear that Philadelphia may be the most important city in this election. The original intent of this document was to call upon Penn Administration to suspend classes for Penn students in order to make space for students' civic participation and mental health. Penn's leadership has ignored these demands, and opted to issue "guidance" to professors and supervisors instead. This decentralized approach intends to offer students and staff "flexibility" to vote. Unsurprisingly, this policy has translated into mixed results.

Urgently, the mission of this petition now expands to encompass another part of the Penn community: Penn staff. Given that Penn employees make up the largest private employee base in Philadelphia (40,000, close to the 2016 PA margin of victory), Penn Administration's action or inaction may prove to be decisive in determining the results of this election. Interviews with a sample of staff reveal that some feel supported by their departments while others haven't spoken with their supervisors about their voting plans or plan to vote after work just as in any election year.

If early voting conditions—long lines, broken machines, and general disorganization—are any harbinger, it's likely that these Penn employees will face extremely difficult voting circumstances and potentially be disenfranchised. Our fear is that this problem won’t be realized until Tuesday. Then it will be too late. 

This petition now urgently calls upon the Penn Administration to actively support the voting rights of the Penn community. We demand the following action items:

- Provide 3 hours of PTO to all university hourly staff on Election Day, allowing everyone to get to polling places and wait as long as necessary to vote

- Require that vendors (Allied Security, Bon Appetit) provide the same 3 hours of PTO to their on-campus staff on Election Day

Please raise your voice in this matter and demonstrate your support by signing and sharing this petition. There are 5 days remaining.