Kansas Jayhawks student athletes will have Election Day off

Kansas Jayhawks student athletes will have November the third off to allow players and staff the opportunity to vote.

Every election is important, and this year’s is no different. For once, it seems like the NCAA is actually doing something positive in encouraging schools to give their student athletes the November 3rd Election Day off. The Kansas Jayhawks will be one of many groups of athletes given the day off in order to go vote.

This is a good move by athletic director Jeff Long and the KU Athletics Department. In allowing students to have the day off, Long said: “At Kansas Athletics, we want to provide opportunities for our student-athletes to use their platform to inspire change.”

Whichever side of the political spectrum you’re on, this is a good move by both the NCAA and Kansas Athletics. Not only should student athletes be given the opportunity to vote, but they should also be encouraged to do so.

Here is an excerpt of the NCAA’s statement:

"“We encourage all member schools to assist students in registering to vote in the upcoming national election and designate Nov. 3, 2020, as a day off from athletic activity so athletes can vote and participate in their ultimate responsibility as citizens.”"

Helping their athletes to register to vote should be a priority for every program, and it could help lead to positive changes in society. While voter turnout for college age individuals has gone up recently, the 18-29 age group has had the lowest voter turnout in every presidential election since 1980 according to the U.S. Census.

Election Day will come exactly one week before Kansas basketball’s season opener against Kentucky, while the third will come after Kansas football’s bye-week. At that time, the Jayhawks will be preparing to take on Texas at home. In conclusion, neither program should really be impacted by the day off for athletes to vote, and it’ll allow the athletes to add their input to the 2020 election.