Voters Nov. 5 approved 77 percent of 370 transportation funding measures on state and local ballots throughout the country, according to initial results compiled by ARTBA’s Transportation Investment Advocacy Center (TIAC). The measures will generate an estimated $41.4 billion in new and renewed funding for roads, bridges, trails, and rail.

Some revenue will be available immediately through bond agreements, while most will be generated through sales, property, or other taxes collected gradually over as much as 30 years.

Transportation funding measures appeared on ballots in at least 25 states, with 23 states approving at least one statewide or local question.

“The support for these ballot measures during one of the most consequential national election cycles in modern history shows that the issue of transportation investment continues to transcend partisan politics,” said TIAC senior director of state funding policy Carolyn Kramer Simons. “Voters from all parties and geographic areas agree on the need to invest in our road, bridge, and transit infrastructure.”

What Stands Out

In Washington state, voters chose to keep the state’s carbon credit market, a portion of which is used for its transportation budget on projects to improve transit, electrify ferries, advance high-speed rail, and for initiatives to improve pedestrian safety.

Voters in California rejected a statewide measure that would have lowered the threshold required to pass local bonds and special taxes from 66.67 percent voter approval to 55 percent voter approval. This would have eased the burden on counties, cities, and towns seeking revenue to maintain and improve roads, bridges, trails, and other transportation-related infrastructure.

Other notable local measures include:

  • Four out of nine counties in South Carolina renewed or enacted a local sales tax for transportation purposes, approving $11.7 billion in funding for roads, bridges, and transit over the next 25 years.
  • Nashville, Tenn. voters invested $3.1 billion in the city’s transit system, sidewalks, and roads after voters overwhelmingly approved a half-cent sales tax increase.
  • Voters in Seattle, Wash. renewed a local property tax for a $1.55 billion investment in the city’s transportation infrastructure over eight years.
  • Maricopa County, Ariz. renewed a half-cent transportation sales tax, which will generate $14.9 billion for another 20 years; and
  • Three out of seven counties in Georgia approved new or renewed local sales taxes that are partly or entirely used for transportation purposes.

Ohio continues to lead the nation in the number of local questions on the ballot. Voters there approved 75 percent of 141 measures. While strong, this approval rating was below the state’s 10-year average of 87 percent approval of 1,200 measures since 2014.

Historical Trends

Nationally, support for transportation-related ballot measures has remained high over the last decade. Since 2014, voters in 43 states approved 84 percent of nearly 3,000 state and local measures on general election ballots.

What’s Next
Twenty-two measures are still pending results. Final results will be certified over the next few weeks.

Visit the Ballot Measure Dashboard to read the report and view measures, state-specific information, trends, and data.