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Unsuccessful Ballot Initiatives
The TIAC staff researches and prepares detailed case studies of recent successful—and unsuccessful—state and local legislative and ballot initiative campaigns aimed at increasing transportation infrastructure investment. Each one digs into the politics, issues, media, and major players involved in the effort, and a summary of successful campaign “best practices.” Visit the ‘Campaign Case Studies‘ section of the website to view other case studies.
TIAC attempts to track all ongoing state and local transportation funding and financing developments in real time and reports on them frequently through our blog. If you would like to contribute information to this effort, please contact the TIAC staff.
RICHLAND COUNTY, SOUTH CAROLINA: General Sales Tax Referendum (2010)
This unsuccessful ballot initiative campaign to increase transportation funding was narrowly defeated by a 1.88 margin in the 2010 election. The plan would have increased Richland County’s general sales tax from seven cents to eight cents, and the initiative would have generated $1 billion over the next 25 years. The ballot referendum proposed a one-cent local option sales tax to raise funds to support transportation. This “penny tax” would have used the new revenues to decrease traffic and improve the roads in Richland County. According to proponents of the measure, over 40 percent of the revenues would have been collected from people who live outside of Richland County. Although it failed in the November 2010 election, the referendum was passed in the November 2012 election.
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