APTA - American Public Transportation Association
11/06/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/06/2024 12:34
POST-ELECTION SNAPSHOT: VOTERS GREENLIGHT $25+ BILLION IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION BALLOT MEASURES ACROSS U.S. IN 2024
POST-ELECTION SNAPSHOT: VOTERS GREENLIGHT $25+ BILLION IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION BALLOT MEASURES ACROSS U.S. IN 2024
In Tuesday's election, voters have thus far supported 19 out of 25 measures in favor of public transit, with the results of 1 measure still outstanding
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, on Tuesday, November 5, voters voiced their overwhelming support for public transit by approving transit ballot measures across the country. As of today, there have been a total of 46 wins out of 53 measures for public transit in 2024, an 86.7% win rate. We have results thus far for 25 out of 26 measures in the general election supporting public transit, adding to the 27 public transit measures already passed by voters this year. You can find results for ballot measures on our 2024 election scorecard, which has the most up-to-date information.
"Initial results from this year's public transportation ballot initiatives show a clear trend: communities across the country are backing public transit. These measures have become a vital indicator of voters' commitment to investing in transit, and this year's response has been overwhelmingly positive," said APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas. "The public's enthusiasm for investing in transit reflects a clear desire for cleaner, more accessible transportation options in their neighborhoods. The 2024 election has marked a significant step forward for public transportation, as communities continue to invest in a brighter, more sustainable future for everyone."
"This year Americans showed they fully support funding for public transit, approving almost 87% of initiatives across the country. Now, our communities will have the support they need to invest in their neighborhoods, leaving infrastructure that will be here for our kids and grandkids," said Jessica Grennan, Executive Director of APTA's Center for Transportation Excellence. "The success of these measures shows that voters are committed to improving mobility, increasing access to essential services, and ensuring all residents have the infrastructure needed to thrive, and get where they need to go."
Last night has already proved to be a marked success, with $24.9 billion approved so far by voters to make transit improvements, bringing the total funding for public transit in 2024 to over $25 billion. These results show that residents understand the importance of putting our public transit systems on the road to recovery-because good public transportation means a brighter and easier future for communities.
You can find this year's victories for public transit below.
2024 Transit Ballot Initiative Wins
| City/County | State | Ballot Proposal Summary | Total Known Transit Revenue | Pass Rate |
| Maricopa County | AZ | Countywide half-cent sales tax measure that will fund which goes toward the maintenance and operation of public transportation and light rail. Proposition 479 will ask voters in the county to extend it through 2045. | $3,085,000 | 60% |
| Flagstaff | AZ | Voters will decide whether or not to extend the current transit tax and increase it by about .20 cents per $100. Proposed improvements could include electrifying the bus fleet, expanding service hours, improving service frequency, bringing service to new areas and reducing congestion while protecting the environment | N/A | 56.31% |
| Napa | CA | Measure U will be a 30-year measure operating from July 2025 - July 2055, and will generate approximately $25 million annually and allow jurisdictions the ability to bring money forward to tackle long awaited transportation improvements. It includes funding for low income public transit subsidies. | $300,000 | 71.77% |
| Palo Alto | CA | Asked voters to "undedicate" the 0.33-acre strip of park space so that it can accommodate the proposed bus lanes. | N/A | 74.62% |
| San Francisco | CA | Prop L would increase operations funding for Muni. Revenue from a new business tax on ride-hail companies will be used to prevent Muni service cuts and improve Muni access | $750,000,000 | 56.22% |
| Mountain Village | CO | Revenue from a sales tax, lodging tax, and property tax increase will be used to fund a new gondola and continue service between Telluride and Mountain Village, as well as maintain and improve San Miguel Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) bus transit services. From this funding, 87.8% of tax revenue will be used as a reserve for a portion of a new gondola and for gondola operations and maintenance, starting Jan. 1, 2028. SMART can use the other 12.2% of tax revenues for maintaining and expanding their regional public transit system. | $246,000,000 | 52.90% |
| Denver/Aurora | CO | With 7A approved, RTD is allowed to keep between $50 million to $60 million annually instead of refunding that to taxpayers | $1,800,000,000 | 78.49% |
| Bismarck | ND | A half-cent sales tax that will help fund Public Safety and Public Transportation needs. Three-tenths of a cent of this measure will be dedicated to public safety, and two-tenths of a cent will be allocated to public transportation needs: specifically, costs associated with providing reliable service for disabled, elderly, and socio-economically challenged residents. | N/A | 59.59% |
| Columbus | OH | .5% sales tax increase that will help fund bus rapid transit lines through the LinkUS program. The levy is a sales tax initiative. If it passes, it will increase the sales tax in Columbus from 7.5% to 8%. Then COTA would receive 1% of that sales tax. Currently, it receives .5%. | $6,200,000,000 | 57.30% |
| Jefferson County | OH | The transit system has a 1.5-mill levy, and it is asking for an additional half mill, with the money going toward day-to-day operations, serving thousands of people in the area. Fund Steel Valley Regional Transit Authority | N/A | 57.36% |
| Bay County | MI | Shall the limitation of the amount of property taxes which may be levied each year against property in the County of Bay be increased by 1 mill ($1.00 per $1,000 of taxable value) on the taxable valuation of real and personal property situated in the County of Bay for a period of five (5) years, 2026 through 2030, inclusive, (this is a renewal of the 1 mill, reduced to .9969 mills by the required millage rollbacks, previously approved by voters that expires in 2025), the said millage to be used exclusively for the continued operation of the Bay Metropolitan Transportation Authority? If approved and levied, the estimated revenue during the first year of the millage would be $3,587,038. | $17,935,190 | 61.35% |
| Richland County | SC | A 25-year 1% sales tax to fund community and countywide transportation projects. 22% of the revenue will go to funding COMET, officially the Central Midlands Regional Transit Authority public transportation system. | $990,000,000 | 61.31% |
| Horry County | SC | A 1% sales tax to be imposed in Horry County for not more than 25 years or until a total of $6,350,000,000 in resulting revenue has been collected, whichever occurs first. 5.45% of the annual revenue ($299,000,000 total) will be used for the operation of mass transit services within Horry County. Additional funding ($25,000,000 total) will go to Coast RTA's maintenance complex and passenger stations. | $324,000,000 | 57.11% |
| Nashville | TN | A half-cent sales tax increase will fund accelerated expansion of Nashville's bus system, build out dozens of miles of sidewalks and bike lanes and upgrade nearly 600 traffic signals to better handle vehicle congestion. The tax increase will cover around 46% of the plan's total cost. | $2,284,500,000 | 65.50% |
| Arlington County | VA | Arlington County will contract a debt and issue its general obligation bonds in the maximum principal amount of $72,405,000 to finance, together with other available funds, the cost of various capital projects for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and other transit, pedestrian, road or transportation projects. | $44,300,000 | 79.50% |
| Fairfax County | VA | $180 million in bonds would be used to finance Fairfax County's share, under the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Regional Compact, of the cost of constructing, reconstructing, improving and acquiring transportation improvements and facilities, including capital costs of land, transit facilities, rolling stock and equipment in the Washington metropolitan area. | $180,000,000 | 66.20% |
| Chelan | WA | A 0.3% increase in sales tax, from 8.4% to 8.7%, to fund the identified transportation projects. | N/A | 52.02% |
| Seattle | WA | The 8-year $1.55 billion Transportation Levy will use property taxes to fund improvements to the city's transportation infrastructure, including building sidewalks, paving streets, repairing bridges, and improving transit connections. | $151,000,000 | 66.82% |
| Statewide | WA | Initiative 2117 failed, meaning major parts of the Climate Commitment Act of 2021 will remain in place. Including the Cap and Invest Program that funds Move Ahead Washington public transportation grant programs, which is set to provide $3 billion for public transportation over the next 16 years. | N/A | 38.31% |
The following results have not yet been called. APTA will provide an update when a call is made:
- South Lake Tahoe, CA
2024 Transit Ballot Initiative Wins: Pre-November 5
| City/County | State | Ballot Proposal Summary | Total Known Transit Revenue | Pass Rate |
| Cass County | MI | Cass County Transportation Authority Millage | $3,085,000 | 50% |
| Owosso | MI | Public Transportation Millage For Funding Public Transit System In The City Of Owosso | $524,440 | 70.67% |
| Port Huron | MI | Renewal Of Blue Water Area Transportation Millage | N/A | 73.80% |
| Fort Gratiot Township | MI | Renewal Of Blue Water Area Transportation Millage | $1,766,496 | 77.00% |
| Los Angeles | CA | City Mobility Plan Street Improvement Measures. Initiative Ordinance Hla | N/A | 63.05% |
| Monongalia County | WV | Monongalia County Commission Special Election To Authorize Additional Levies Monongalia County Urban Mass Transportation Authority (Mountainline) | $8,895,892 | 62.36% |
| Parkersburg | WV | Parkersburg Levy Election | $4,530,733 | 80% |
| Vienna | WV | Vienna Levy Election | $1,856,350 | 84.00% |
| Mandan | ND | Initiated City Measure No. 1 | 60.46% | |
| Genesee County (Linden City) | MI | Mass Transportation Authority Millage Renewal Proposal | $73,329,960.00 | 60.00% |
| Benzie County | MI | Benzie Transportation Authority (Benzie Bus) | $8,535,000.00 | 59.18% |
| Scio Township | MI | Renew And Restore The Transportation Millage | $6,169,800.00 | 67.00% |
| City of Perry (Shiawassee County) | MI | Special Millage Proposal (Continuation Of Public Transportation Millage) | $46,081.00 | 58.21% |
| City of Durand (Shiawassee County) | MI | Public Transportation | $51,767.16 | 57.41% |
| Caledonia Charter Township (Shiawassee County) | MI | Proposition For Renewal Of Public Transportation Millage | $92,024.00 | 72.01% |
| Gogebic County | MI | Proposal To Renew Or Continue The Previous One-Third Mill, (1/3) For The Operation Of The Gogebic County Transit For A Period Of Four (4) Years From 2025-2028, Inclusive: | $855,306.64 | 82.64% |
| Ontonagon County | MI | County Public Transit Millage Renewal | $1,374,512.00 | 78.38% |
| Lake County | MI | Lake County County-Wide Transportation Millage Renewal Proposal Of The Previously Voted Millage That Expired In 2023 | $1,365,285.00 | 66.25% |
| Spring Lake Township | MI | Harbor Transit Millage Renewal Proposition | $4,138,824.00 | 72.30% |
| Branch County | MI | Branch Area Transit Authority Millage Proposition | $3,038,150.00 | 60.34% |
| Van Buren County | MI | Public Transit Millage Renewal Proposal | $3,870,568.00 | 65.13% |
| Gladwin County | MI | Dial A Ride Funding Renewal Proposal | $3,573,336.00 | 66.36% |
| Clinton County | MI | Clinton Area Transit System Millage Proposal | $9,824,000.00 | 68.37% |
| Isabella County | MI | Isabella County Transportation Commission (I-Ride) Millage Renewal Proposal | $10,238,968.00 | 56.58% |
| City of SaginawI | MI | Saginaw Transit Authority Regional Services Millage Proposal | $7,274,700.00 | 70.92% |
| Port Huron Township | MI | Public Bus Transportation Service Millage Renewal Proposition | $1,135,505.44 | 55.00% |
| Miami-Dade County | FL | County Straw Ballot Question (County Nonbinding Rapid Mass Transit System) | N/A | 78.00% |
APTA's Center for Transportation Excellence tracks all of the measures at its websiteand through its Twitter account, and will be providing updates as results come in.
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