UCSB students, staff react to midterm elections 

The United States midterm elections were held on Nov. 3 and included national, statewide and local elections, as well as a lengthy list of California propositions. 

UC Santa Barbara students reacted to results in a variety of ways, including celebration and frustration. 

Isabel Hicks, a third-year political science major, speaking on Proposition 40 failing, said, “[it] was kind of disappointing because I feel like that was [so] obvious that [it] should have passed.”

Proposition 40 was a ballot measure that proposed a one-time 5% tax on individuals with over $1 billion in assets. California voters shot down the proposition, with 52.8% voting no. 

Autumn Lee, a second-year biochemistry major, felt “frustrated with certain props not passing, especially the billionaire tax” and was “astounded at the ambiguity of other ones, especially the one regarding funding for healthcare-related research that required a little bit more [personal] research.”

Measure E2026, a ballot measure specific to Isla Vista, was passed by voters with a 71% majority. It includes a utility tax increase of 7% on methane and 6% on trash, sewage, water and electric. It is estimated to raise an annual revenue of $1.2 million to fund the I.V. Community Services District (IVCSD) for improving community safety efforts, housing services and more. 

Hicks went on to say that IVCSD isn’t “pro student in the way that they pretend they are” and “over policing is a huge issue in I.V., and IVCSD tries to act like they’re pro community service or like other alternative forms of restorative justice, but I don’t really think that they are.” 

Torin Fraser, a second-year biology major, was “pretty happy” with the national and statewide results. 

“I was pretty bummed two years ago when Republicans got control of both the Senate and the House with Trump being a president,” Fraser said.

According to the Associated Press, Democrats have so far won a majority of the Senate with 54 seats and majority of the House of Representatives with 255 seats. This comes two years after the 2024 election when Republicans gained control of all three chambers.

Lee described UCSB’s political activism on campus as complex. 

“Yes, and no. It’s politically active in the sense that I think our minority students, underrepresented students and students who face systems of oppression are working quite hard to undo those systems, to reform them and to build new ones. I would say there is a lack of assessment on the privilege [some] hold here, which leads to a lot of political inefficacy.” 

A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the Nov. 12 print edition of the Daily Nexus.