In 2022, voters approved 14 of the 19 transit ballot measures nationwide and funded billions of dollars’ worth of transportation projects, according to the American Public Transportation Association. They estimate that, historically, transit ballot measures pass at a rate of 85%.

Their takeaway is that American voters support transportation measures, rather than the opposition hasn’t really targeted them in an organized fashion.

But the success of these campaigns is drawing more attention, and not necessarily for the better. The more transportation-related ballot measures and referenda that state and local officials run, the more professionalized opposition they face. For example, in 2018, voters in Nashville rejected a transit referendum in which the opposition raised $1m of secret money. At the time, it was rumored that much of that money came from out-of-state, deep-pocketed interests.

Well-funded opposition isn’t the only emerging challenge. Opposition groups are relying on race-baiting tactics to separate traditionally transit-supportive groups, and that tactic is becoming more popular, as seen in Nashville, Detroit, and elsewhere. 

And sometimes, ballot measures never even make it to a vote, as in the example in Hillsborough County, FL, in 2022. Even when this campaign was well-organized and used well-worn strategies like naming the projects in the ballot language or poll-testing ballot language, the opposition used these typically non-controversial campaign tactics against proponents and mounted a legal challenge that resulted in the measure's removal from the ballot.

This doesn’t even address when proponents shoot themselves in the foot with confusing ballot language, lackluster campaigns, or treating a successful outcome as inevitable (because voters always vote for transportation referenda).

The days of having direct conversations with voters to fund social utilities are gone (if they ever really existed). In the firm’s annual trust and credibility survey, the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer concludes that governments are increasingly seen as a source of disinformation. Cities, states, and the advocates supporting these efforts need better preparation, examples they can point to, and leaders to speak on their behalf. 

This is the goal of Running for the Bus. If proponents of more and better transportation options want to continue winning in an increasingly politicized and fractured electoral environment, they need to better equip themselves with information, networks, and strategies. Be it voting for ballot measures or referenda, or electing officials willing to lead on these issues, Running for the Bus intends to support these efforts and the people making them happen.