The 2025 Associated Students of UCI (ASUCI) Elections saw a significant increase in voter turnout this election cycle, with 22.38% of undergraduates — 6,470 students — voting last week, marking a major shift from voting trends in recent ASUCI elections.
In previous years, election turnout was notably among the lowest in UCI history, reaching an all-time low of 4.2% in 2023. This year’s sharp rise signals a renewed interest in student government, strengthened by increased candidate outreach, strategic campaigning and a highly debated referendum that many students felt had a direct impact on their college experience. Candidates managed a three-week campaign period from March 24 to April 18, a revised timeline from previous years.
One of the referendums on the ballot garnered high levels of both positive and negative scrutiny. The Meet the Moment Referendum was introduced to fund Division I NCAA UCI sports and the addition of women’s beach volleyball, as well as fund concerts and spirit rallies. Per UC policy for new campus fees, 25% of the fee would also be reallocated to fund undergraduate financial aid.
If passed, the referendum would have added a $180-per-quarter student fee, set to increase by $10 each academic year up to $220 per quarter, with annual inflationary increases beginning in 2030. For referendums to pass, 20% voter turnout must be met, with 60% of students voting in favor.
UCI students have long expressed frustration that the school lacks a “traditional” college experience due to its reputation as a commuter school. Several decades ago, students voted to fund the construction of the science library over adding a football program — a decision still debated today. For some students, the Meet the Moment Referendum represents a chance to shift that narrative.
The referendum would have also supported the UCI Spirit Squad and marching band, both of which play a prominent role at athletic and campus events.
Spirit Squad cheerleader Pari Chadha provided an inside perspective as an athlete.
“It would help with uniforms, volunteer opportunities … I’ve heard from a lot of volleyball players that they are not on scholarship and are paying for a lot of things themselves, and they would be paying the referendum too,” she told New University.
She also warned of the consequences of not properly funding UCI’s athletic departments. The referendum stated its intention to provide financial support to the current level of UC Davis and UC San Diego.
“I think it would be a very good thing for the UCI experience. Everyone says ‘We’re not a sports school’… well, we can be if that’s what students want now,” Pari said. “Also, if they take funding from athletics and we drop down to a D2 school, it’s going to hurt our reputation.”
Concerns about losing funding were exacerbated by other California campuses experiencing issues with funding that led to the elimination of athletic programs. Sonoma State University is in the process of cutting its entire NCAA Division II athletic program, and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo cut its Division I swimming and diving programs in March.
However, as much as some students supported the referendum, others strongly opposed it and took to Reddit to discourage one another from voting yes.
In a thread titled “VOTE NO” on r/UCI, Reddit user One_Beautiful5168 wrote, “The student athletes are crazy thinking we want to vote yes on a referendum that doesn’t involve anyone but them. We’d pay $540 for the first year and it will increase each year after that just for them to get better facilities while the rest of us have to end up paying more loans or out of pocket money.”
Currently, 18%, or $5.07 million, of funding for UCI athletic operating expenses comes from student fees.
Another user, Individual-Hat1014 pointed to how funding typically works at larger state schools as a reason to vote no: “It’s not even about lack of school spirit. A lot of the big state schools with amazing football teams get most of their funding for research and nice things around campus from the fans of their sports teams, not the students.”
Given the strong opinions on both sides of the debate, the high turnout suggests students are more willing to vote when issues feel more pertinent to their undergraduate experience. In addition to Meet the Moment, students also voted on a separate referendum to fund New University’s return to print. Both referendums failed to pass. Graduate students voted to pass a fee to support graduate student basic needs.
Aside from the referendums, many candidates increased visibility and engagement through flyers, social media outreach and forming candidate pacts — coalitions where candidates supported each other’s campaigns to boost collective turnout and chances of winning. These included the AntLeaders, the Anteater PACT and Anteater Rising.
Election results were released on April 30.
Maya Icekson is a News Intern for the spring 2025 quarter. She can be reached at micekson@uci.edu.
