Overview
- Only one of the two student seats on the 26-member UC Board of Regents currently carries a vote, and student leaders are campaigning to convert the regent-designate seat into a voting position.
- Advocates say a second vote would better reflect diverse student perspectives and strengthen student input when regent committees meet at the same time.
- Because UC governance is rooted in the state constitution, the change cannot be made by routine legislation and would require a regents policy vote or a constitutional amendment.
- Backers note that California State University and community college boards already have two voting student representatives, and some UC advocates would target the November 2026 ballot if an amendment is pursued.
- The effort unfolds with student regent Sonya Brooks in her voting year and Miguel Craven serving as the non-voting designate, as the board prepares a Nov. 19 vote on reaffirming cohort-based tuition increases after last year’s split over a nonresident tuition hike.