URBANA — "Alma Otter" may have brought out the voters, but it didn't win quite enough of their votes.
In a nonbinding referendum this week, University of Illinois students voted down a proposal to make it the official symbol of the Illini by just 300 votes. The unofficial vote was 3,510 in support to 3,807 against.
Though it was created as a joke by three UI students, Alma Otter had gained traction online and was eventually placed on the ballot for the spring student election. The vote was only advisory to the administration.
Turnout was 50 percent higher than in 2018, with a total of 8,078 votes cast.