Minimum voting threshold for referendum voting

For the 2025 Campus Elections, in order for a referendum to be valid, a minimum number of students enrolled in spring quarter must vote on the individual initiative in order for it to be considered. In order to pass a referendum on this year's ballot, the following rules apply (See Appendix A of the Campus Elections Policy for more information):

• Undergraduate Students: The minimum voting threshold is 25%, and of those who vote, 66% must vote yes in order for the referendum to pass.
• Graduate Students: The minimum voting threshold is 20%, and of those who vote, 66% must vote yes in order for the referendum to pass (note: the Chancellor has approved a reduction of the minimum voting threshold for graduate students - from 25% to 20% - for the 2025 Campus Elections).

Election information and ballot access

The Campus Elections will be conducted online via the elections website elections.ucsc.edu. Votes will be accepted electronically between 12:00 a.m. midnight on Monday, May 5, 2025 and 11:59 p.m. on Friday, May 16, 2025. Once the ballot opens, students can scan the QR code below to quickly access the website where they will sign in to access their ballot. 

Accommodations requests

Students requiring accommodations should reach out to the Dean of Students Office at deanofstudents@ucsc.edu before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 14, 2025.

Eligibility criteria

In order to vote, students will need to enter their Gold ID and Gold Password. If you do not have that information, check with the Office of the Registrar, 831.459.4412. Only currently registered (Spring 2025, based on third-week records) undergraduate and graduate students of UCSC are eligible to vote. Votes may be cast from any device with internet access.

Process

Screening of voters, casting of votes, storing of votes, and determination of results will all occur electronically. Voter anonymity is built into this process. Every attempt has been made to ensure the security of all data. Any attempts at voter fraud will be handled as defined by campus policies. Fraudulent votes will be eliminated from elections results and will not count toward the minimum voting pool as required for each measure.

Ranked choice voting (RCV) will once again be used this year for the SUA officer elections. In RCV, voters will select their first choice candidate for any given position (including a write-in candidate) and may also rank as many of the remaining candidates as they wish in their order of choice. If a candidate receives more than 50% of the first choice votes, they win the race outright. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, an instant runoff will occur, wherein the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and voters who picked that candidate as their first choice will have their votes count for their second choice. This process continues until one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote.

Complaints

Individuals who wish to challenge the election process or validity of the election results may file a written complaint with the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Success (vcsas@ucsc.edu). A complaint must include a detailed explanation of the specific action or section of the election policy being grieved, or alleged to have been violated, and the remedy requested. The time limit for filing a complaint shall expire thirty (30) working days after the election results are announced, pending an official elections result announcement by the UCSC Chancellor. For more information on the complaint process, please see Appendix D of the Campus Elections Policy.