Friends,

Next Tuesday, voters will go to the ballot box to vote in important state and local elections. Though it’s an off-year election with fewer items on the ballot due to low expected turnout in most states, the decisions voters make this year are just as important for their communities as any other year.

So far this year, 5 communities, mostly in Michigan, have supported transit at the ballot box in local elections, a perfect record for transit at the ballot box so far, upholding a years-long pattern of voters reaffirming their support for public transit. On November 7, communities in Missouri, Colorado, and Ohio are poised to join them.

CFTE will provide updates as results come in. For as-they-happen updates, follow us on Twitter at @CFTE_News.

Additionally, communities are gearing up for a big 2024. The presidential election will bring high turnout across the country, and transit agencies and advocates have a chance to leverage this huge opportunity through transit votes. However, a presidential election also means an expensive, crowded media environment with a myriad of items on the ballot competing for voters’ attention, so campaigns will need to be well-resourced and well-prepared to proceed. We’re excited to tell you more about some of the communities we’re working with in the new year.

As always, if you or your community are considering a measure, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Best,
The APTA’s Center for Transportation Excellence team

Missouri

One of the biggest and most consequential measures on the ballot this November, the bus service renewal measure in Kansas City, has received robust support from local champions, including Mayor Quinton Lucas and KCATA CEO Frank White III.

  • Kansas City: The measure would renew a three-eighths of a cent city sales tax for operation and improvement of the public bus system over a period of 10 years. If approved, the funding will exclusively be used for the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority’s (KCATA) bus system, and would avoid a 30% cut to the KCATA budget and reduced routes within the city.

Colorado

Along with the local transportation ballot measures in Fort Collins and Boulder, voters will also see Proposition HH on the statewide ballot, which will reduce the pending increase in property taxes — if Coloradans agree to a reduction or elimination in TABOR refunds. We are watching how this confusing measure will impact other tax ballot measures, including new local taxes for transit. 

  • Fort Collins: The measure collects funding through a half-cent sales tax, allocating 25% of the revenue specifically to the city’s transit system through 2050. This funding supports various public transit programs and services, including infrastructure improvements, equipment purchases, and the expansion and enhancement of transit services.

  • Boulder County: The measure collects funding by extending the existing property tax mill levy of 1.85 mills for ten years to ​​facilitate broader access to transportation. If passed, funds would cover the costs of providing a regional transportation district Eco Pass to all district residents while also authorizing an Eco Pass program for non-resident employees of employers in the District without increasing district taxes for residents.

  • City of Fountain: The measure, if approved, would levy a 1% sales and use tax to generate $4.5 million annually for the Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority, with 10% of the net revenue going toward improving transit services through 2034, followed by a decrease to .45% sales and use tax with 22.22% of the net revenue funding public transit services thereafter.

Ohio

In November, Ohio voters will decide on a constitutional amendment on abortion.   This is a more than 70 million dollar race, unprecedented for a midterm election.  We are expecting higher than average turnout due to the field efforts on both sides of this highly competitive ballot measure, which means transit measures at the local level are likely to see historic voter participation for an off-year election.  

  • Perrysburg: Voters will decide on renewing a 0.8-mill public transportation levy, estimated to generate $539,000 annually for five years, with a $22 yearly cost for the owner of a $100,000 home. The levy aims to sustain Perrysburg Transit — a decade-old service entering its third contract and operated by MTM Transit – ensuring continued accessible and reliable transportation services for Perrysburg residents.