Approximately 80% of students who cast their vote in the special election on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11 voted in favor of passing Measure A with a record-breaking voter turnout, according to a Los Rios news release on Thursday.
Measure A extends the Universal Transit Program between the Los Rios Community College District and Sacramento Regional Transit through the end of 2028 while lowering the maximum fee to $36 for students and will be finalized by the Los Rios Board of Trustees during their meeting in November.
The program currently offers the transit pass at a minimum of $3 per unit and a maximum of $45 for students enrolled in 15 units or more. LRCC students can ride any bus or light rail 24 hours a day, seven days a week, according to the news release.
“Student government spent many hours out there tabling and flyering and they made announcements in class,” said Supervisor of Student Life and Leadership Center and Advisor of Associated Students of CRC Oscar Mendoza Plascencia.
Mendoza Plascencia said the Student Senate handed out 20 dozen doughnuts and seven carafes of coffee to students, encouraging them to vote on the measure.
“We have an awesome faculty. They really made an effort to spread the word,” Mendoza Plascencia said.
Vice Commissioner of Clubs and Events Board Mohaimen Abualturshi said he used to be one of those students taking advantage of the UTP resource.
“It’s important for everyone actually because you never know when your car might break down and you have to take the bus,” Abualturshi said.
Out of 2,169 total student voters, 1,756 voted in favor of the measure, according to the news release.
Mason Rold, 18, an English major, said he didn’t vote on the measure, but thinks it’s really cool that CRC gets input from students on these measures because it gets students involved and builds the community.
“A lot of people can’t afford transportation or just get cars and stuff,” Rold said. “It’s not convenient for some people, so I think it’s very nice for those who want to go to college, but they’re not able to access those sort of things.”
Twenty-year-old graphic design major Jirah Lopez said she voted on the measure, and while she doesn’t use the transit pass, her friends frequently use the pass outside of campus for things like work and appointments.
Lopez said it was beneficial for Los Rios to have students vote on the measure.
“I think it’s a good idea because it’s something that mainly impacts the students, because they’re the primary users of it. So, it’s good to have them decide whether or not they want to continue paying for it,” Lopez said.