On November 4, 2014, voters in several states considered numerous ballot measures related to land use and transportation funding.
Land use measures
Voters across the country considered a number of ballot measures related to land use, and several notable statewide measures were approved.
- Florida: Amendment 1, constitutional amendment to dedicate portion of existing funds for conservation
- Maine: Question 6, bond issue for water resources and wetlands restoration
- New Jersey: Public Question No. 2, constitutional amendment to dedicate portion of existing funds for open space preservation
- Rhode Island: Question 7, bond issue to support various environmental and recreational efforts, including clean water, flood prevention, and brownfield redevelopment
There were also numerous county and municipal measures, including some that support transit-oriented development, like the passage of Measure N in San Bruno, CA, and the rejection of Measure R in Berkeley, CA. A digest of these and other land use ballot initiatives is available from Smart Growth America.
Transportation measures
Transportation ballot measures included 13 sales tax measures, six property tax levies, four bond issues, and a vehicle registration fee, according to data compiled by the Center for Transportation Excellence. Also included were policy initiatives related to funding "lockboxes" for transportation, participation in regional transit agencies, automatically indexing the gas tax to inflation, and the establishment of new transportation entities.
Voters approved 16 of 31 measures, including five sales taxes, four property taxes, and three bond issues. Additionally, Wisconsin and Maryland voters approved statewide measures to protect transportation revenue sources from transfers to other funds. In Massachusetts, voters approved a statewide measure to repeal the automatic indexing of the gas tax to inflation. Although not included in the Center for Transportation Excellence's database, voters in Texas approved a measure to direct half of the state's oil and gas revenues from its "rainy day" fund to its road improvement fund.
| State | Location | Type of Measure | Subject | %Yes | %No | Result |
| CA | Alameda County | Sales Tax | Increase in transportation sales tax from 0.5% to 1.0% for 30 years for road, transit, and bike/ped projects | 70 | 30 | Pass |
| CA | San Francisco | Charter amendment | Increase transportation funding from general fund to account for population growth; 75% of funds to support transit and 25% to support bike/ped | 61 | 39 | Pass |
| CA | San Francisco | Advisory measure | Various measures to support driving (freezing or eliminating parking rates, building new parking garages, redesigning streets to accomodate faster traffic) | 38 | 62 | Fail |
| CA | San Francisco | Bond issue | $500 million bond for transit | 71 | 29 | Pass |
| CA | Monterey County | Sales tax | A 0.125% sales tax for transit | 72 | 28 | Pass |
| FL | Alachua County | Sales tax | 1% sales tax to support road and bike/ped projects in Alachua County and road, transit, and bike/ped projects in the City of Gainesville | 40 | 60 | Fail |
| FL | Pinellas County | Sales tax | A 1% sales tax for transit | 38 | 62 | Fail |
| FL | Polk County | Sales tax | A 1% sales tax for transit | 28 | 72 | Fail |
| GA | Clayton County | Sales tax | A 1% sales tax to join Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority transit district | 74 | 26 | Pass |
| GA | Cobb County | Sales tax | Renewal of 1% sales tax for transportation | 53 | 47 | Pass |
| KS | Wichita | Sales tax | Support for transit using 10% of revenues from a 1% sales tax | 38 | 62 | Fail |
| LA | Statewide | Constitutional amendment | Authorize the establishment of a state infrastructure bank to be capitalized with public finds | 32 | 68 | Fail |
| MA | Statewide | Gas tax | Repeal the automatic indexing of the state gas tax to inflation | 53 | 47 | Pass |
| MD | Statewide | Constitutional amendment | Prohibits transfers from the Transportation Trust Fund to non-transportation uses unless a state of fiscal emergency is declared and the General Assembly approves the transfer by a two-thirds vote | 82 | 18 | Pass |
| MI | Wexford County | Property tax | Renewal of a 0.06% levy for transit for two years | 68 | 32 | Pass |
| MI | Genesee County | Property tax | Additional 0.0425% levy for transit for five years | 50.4 | 49.6 | Pass |
| MI | Spring Lake Township | Property tax | A 0.07% levy for transit | 60 | 40 | Pass |
| MI | Addison Township | Property tax | A 0.025% levy for five years for transit | 49 | 51 | Fail |
| MI | Bay City | Property tax | Renewal of a 0.075% levy for transit | 66 | 34 | Pass |
| MO | Kansas City | Sales tax | A 0.125% sales tax for 25 years to support transit | 32 | 68 | Fail |
| MO | Kansas City | Sales tax | A 0.25% sales tax for 25 years for capital improvements | 30 | 70 | Fail |
| NM | Dona Ana County | Sales tax | A 0.25% sales tax for transit | 42 | 58 | Fail |
| NM | Sierra County | Sales tax | A 0.25% sales tax for transit | 46 | 54 | Fail |
| OH | Rossford | Other | A proposal to opt out of the regional transit district | 35 | 65 | Fail |
| RI | Statewide | Bond issue | A $35 million bond issue for "transit hubs" | 60 | 40 | Pass |
| TX | Austin | Bond issue | Support for urban rail expansion and road improvements | 43 | 57 | Fail |
| TX | Statewide | Other | Direct half of oil and gas revenues from rainy day fund to road improvements | 80 | 20 | Pass |
| VA | Fairfax County | Bond issue | A $100 millon bond issue for road and bike/ped improvements along new Silver Line | 74 | 26 | Pass |
| WA | Seattle | Other | Create a new Century Transportation Authority to issue bonds and levy taxes in support of a monorail project | 27 | 73 | Fail |
| WA | Seattle | Sales tax and vehicle registration fee | A 0.10% sales tax increase and $60/year vehicle registration fee increase, both for transit | 59 | 41 | Pass |
| WI | Weston | Property tax | A 0.016% levy for transit | 45 | 55 | Fail |
| WI | Statewide | Constitutional amendment | Prohibits transfers from the state transportation fund to non-transportation purposes | 80 | 20 | Pass |
Discussion
Current federal and state sources of transportation revenue have proven inadequate to meet our nation's investment needs. In response, local and regional governments have increasingly turned to their own dedicated sources of revenue to maintain and expand their transportation and infrastructure systems. Between 2000-13 there have been over 500 municipal, county, or regional transportation funding ballot measures across the U.S., according to the Center for Transportation Excellence. These initiatives generally pass -- the Center reports a success rate of 72 percent since 2000 -- suggesting that voters understand the need for new transportation revenues.
GO TO 2040 calls on the state and federal governments to increase their commitment to transportation, but continued inaction at those levels of government demonstrates the need for regions to develop their own sources of revenue.