From the Davis Enterprise on April 16:

After a monthslong stalemate with campus administrators over election rules, ASUCD leaders sent the item to the ballot as a non-binding ballot measure, not an official fee initiative or referendum, as was originally proposed. While a fee initiative is advisory to the chancellor, it puts student-led legislation on a track to be potentially implemented. The non-binding measure, if passed, would not activate any administrative process to change student fees.

The ballot measure will serve as a “temperature-check” of student opinion on the issue, said Gawde, the ASUCD senator. If students support it, she added, the measure could help establish a mandate to bring the matter to a vote in an official referendum in the near future. “We’re using the means available to us to get the issue onto the ballot,” Wong said.

Full article here: https://www.davisenterprise.com/news/local/uc-davis-athletics-fee-question-goes-to-student-vote/

Vote starts today I believe

When will the vote conclude?

The understory here that this may be an actual vote on how these students feel about the university and their education as a whole. So for the administration do dismiss this vote as illegitimate is fraught with the law of “unintended consequences” and the results thereof. They will have to live with the results however they are. My far view: it will not pass. IMHO. It sure is hell is not good for athletic recruiting. But that’s a very minor deal at this point.

Results were announced today - 79% in favor of getting rid of the athletic fee, however only a 12% voter turnout. They needed 20% turnout for a quorum, so it’s technically null. Also passed was a resolution to request the administration to change the mascot from Gunrock Mustang to a cow. Interestingly 12% turnout is a 470% increase from recent elections.

So basically a vocal minority was able to convince about 10% of students with a noisy get out the vote campaign while the other 90% just didn’t care enough to participate in an online vote.

So ICA athletes didn't turn out in huge numbers to protect their own grants, neither did their roommates and girlfriend's abd the Greeks? ICA leadership asleep? Unimaginable.

i was thinking the same thing. i thought there is something like 1000 athletes. 12% turnout is something like 4000 students or so? so maybe everybody BUT the athletes votes against?

idk the breakdown of who voted but in this case an organized abstention might have been most effective way to keep turnout below 20% and win by default.