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PUBLICATION
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MTI Report 01-17
Factors Influencing Voting Results of Local Transportation Funding
Initiatives with a Substantial Transit Component: Case Studies of Ballot
Measures in Eleven Communities
The authors of this study participated in a prior project
(Haas, Massey, Valenty, and Werbel, 2000) involving case studies of four local
ballot tax measures for transportation packages with a substantial passenger rail
component. In-depth interviews with knowledgeable individuals were used to
obtain information about the process used to determine the transportation
package, the nature of the package, and the communications campaigns used by both
proponents and opponents. Although the study revealed quite a bit about
how these factors influence the results of this type of ballot measure, the
conclusions drawn were tentative at best, due in part to the small number of
cases studied.
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ABSTRACT
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This publication is a follow-up study to MTI publication
00-01, Why Campaigns for Local Transportation Funding Initiatives Succeed or Fail: An Analysis of
Four Communities and National Data. The earlier publication was case studies of four local ballot tax
measures for transportation packages. The current study, Factors Influencing Voting Results of Local
Transportation Funding Initiatives with a Substantial Rail Transit Component: Case Studies of Ballot Measures in
Eleven communities,
uses the same case study methodology as the prior study, and is expanded to 11 communities from
the past four years. Some of the important conclusions identified by the study are as follows: 1) The combination
of an energetic and credible opposition and a questionable reputation of the transit agency or transit
system make it extremely difficult for a ballot measure to be successful; 2) When a community has no prior rail
transit system, a comprehensive rail-only package is unlikely to be successful; 3)Without $1 million or more to
spend on a combination of direct mail and television advertising it is difficult for proponents to be
successful; 4) Developing a consensus transportation package depends on the specific details of the package and it is
very difficult to generalize about the needed details; and 5) Under certain circumstances, voters do not appear to
place significant importance on the existence or length of the expiration date of the tax used to fund the transportation
package.
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ABOUT THE AUTHORS
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Dr. Werbel has a good
deal of consulting experience involving survey research. He has been
primarily or solely responsible for six consulting projects using survey
research. Each study used a complex and lengthy questionnaire and two
involved the use of stratified sampling. One of these studies involved
encouraging switching from solo driving to commuting. Although many faculty
teach research and conduct survey research on a consulting basis, only a
relatively small subset of this group ever conducts academic research
dealing with research methodology. He has published two papers dealing with
complicated methodological issues. Note: Dr. Werbel serves as Vice-Chair of
IISTPS' Research Associates Policy Oversight Committee (RAPOC).
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TECHNICAL
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MTI Report 01-17
Factors Influencing Voting Results of
Local Transportation Funding Initiatives with a Substantial Transit Component:
Case Studies of Ballot Measures in
Eleven Communities
Principal Investigator: Dr. Richard Werbel
Published: October 2001
Keywords: Advertising; Advocacy groups; Taxes, Transportation planning; Transportation policy.
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