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Voting patterns across UCSC student-fee referenda

Voter turnout and yes-share across the 52 campus-based fee referenda currently funding a fee on a UCSC bill, plotted across decades. Hover any dot for that measure's detail. For per-fee breakdown, see the fee dashboard.

Voter turnout, by election year

41 measures · 19942025

025501990200020102020avg 32%25% undergrad quorumWon the votelost on quorum

Yes share, by election year

41 measures · 19942025

50751001990200020102020avg 73%

A note on the rules

Passage requirements have changed over time. Since 2015 a campus-based fee has needed a 25% undergraduate turnout (20% for graduates as of 2025) and a two-thirds yes vote. Earlier measures passed under a simple-majority rule — which is why several 2005–2011 referenda show below 66% yes and are still recorded as passed. Each dot's color reflects the recorded outcome under the rule of its time.

Five pre-1999 referenda (1987, 1988 Measures 2 & 3, 1995, 1996 Measure B) are absent from these charts. Detailed vote tallies for those elections were never digitized; reconstructing them would require a trip to UCSC Special Collections or the Dean of Students elections archive.

For the per-measure ballot history of any specific fee — including the official ballot PDF and source-verify links — open the fee on the fee dashboard and switch to its Vote History tab.