ASUC SUPERB Hosts Free Votechella Concert on Upper Sproul Plaza

Hundreds of UC Berkeley students gathered on Upper Sproul Plaza and the Mario Savio Steps on Friday afternoon for "Votechella," a free outdoor concert organized to boost student voter participation ahead of the Nov. 3 general election, The Daily Californian reported.

Hosted by the student-run programming board ASUC SUPERB in partnership with the office of the ASUC External Affairs Vice President (EAVP) and sponsored by campus delivery service Duffl, the afternoon concert featured electro-punk duo Kumo 99 and Los Angeles indie sleaze band The Hellp, including bandmate Noah Dillon.

Student Turnout Push Ahead of Oct. 31 Campus Voting

Between musical sets, ASUC EAVP Selina Mendez and ASUC Vote Coalition Director Emma Ramos spoke to the crowd about the stakes of local and state ballot measures for students, noting that UC Berkeley students account for 95% of residents in Berkeley City Council District 7.

"We care about housing, and we care about safety," Mendez told the crowd, as quoted by The Daily Californian. "Look into your local propositions, see who's running for what, because our tuition, our dorms, our bus lines — everything that happens on this campus is impacted by who we put in office."

Ramos noted that four polling locations will operate in Berkeley for the election, with in-person campus voting opening Oct. 31 inside Eshleman Hall.

"Just the premise of this concert, encouraging people to go out and vote, it's really sweet that this exists and we're able to have a community here," UC Berkeley freshman Camila Grubb told The Daily Californian.