Planning at the Ballot Box

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Planning at the Ballot Box

• 2006 Legislative Policy Conference
• January 30, 2006
• Washington, DC

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Why Ballot Measures?

• The Legislative Process
• Validation, Political Cover for Elected
  Officials
• Up Ballot GOTV
• Political Strategy Counterbalance Other Ballot
  Measures, Legislation
• Fiscal Issues
• Ideology
• New Front In Property Rights

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Ballot Measure Basics

• Types of Ballot Measures
• Initiative (24 States)
• Referenda
• Constitutional Amendment
• Finance Tools
• Sales Tax
• Property Tax
• Bond Issuance
• Dedicated Fees
• Special Tax Districts

• Typical Transit Ballot Questions
• Creation of Authority or District
• District Inclusion or Exclusion
• Project Finance
• Advisory
• Reassurance

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Planning at the Ballot BoxThe Good, The Bad
The Ugly

• The Good
• Transit, Land Conservation, Infrastructure
  Investment, Finance
• The Bad
• Takings, Eminent Domain
• The Ugly
• Planning Process

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Growth in Transit Ballot Measures
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Transportation, Choice Wins at the Polls
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Election 200453 Winning Initiatives Worth 55
Billion
Denver FasTracks
14 Prop Tax Measures in MI
7 Initiatives in Bay Area
Charleston ½ cent Sales Tax for Transit
14 Billion Tax Extension in San Diego
15.8 Billion Phoenix
Austin Commuter Rail
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Election 2004Transit Initiatives Overview

• Number of Transit Initiatives decided on November
  2004 31
• Number of initiatives that passed 24 (77)
• Amount of local investment approved 55 Billion
• 42 out of a total of 53 ballot initiatives for
  public transportation, or with a public transit
  component, were passed in 2004 (79)
• Red State Blue State Balance

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Election 2005Key Statewide Victories Spur 8.8
Billion
New York Bonds
Anchorage
Maine Bonds
Washington Gas Tax Vote
Ohio Bonds
Colorado TABOR
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Transit Ballot Measures2006 Outlook

• Action in California
• Statewide, Monitoring 12 Counties
• Governors Take the Initiative
• Tax Extensions
• SAFETEA-LU, Federal Financing Implications
• Interesting Races
• Tucson Orange County Dedicated Tax Statewide in
  Minnesota Kansas City Columbia, SC
• CFTE Monitoring 40 Races Thus Far

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Open Space Ballot MeasuresSurge in Successful
Measures Since 1996

• 2004 79 of all open space measures approved
  worth 1.7 billion
• Highest Approval Rate Since 2000
• 2003 75 of 217 measures approved, 4 billion
• 2002 74 approved, 5.7 billion
• 2001 70 approved, 1.7 billion
• 2000 7.5 billion investment approved

Source Land Trust Alliance
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Oregons Measure 37

• Governments Must Pay Owners, Or Forgo
  Enforcement, When Certain Land Use Restrictions
  Reduce Property Value

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Measure 37 Aftermath

• Claims Conflict
• Judicial Intervention
• Legislation
• Counter-Framing
• Strategic Insights

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Measure 37Attack of the Clones

• Oregon Battle Continues in Courts, Capitol
• Judicial Rulings Closely Watched by Clone
  Proponents
• Next Electoral Battleground Washington
• Target States
• Napa County, CA Georgia, South Carolina,
  Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Michigan, Montana,
  Nevada, Oklahoma, Wisconsin

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Kelo Eminent Domain Measures

• Constitutional Amendments
• 10 Introduced in 05
• 5 Introduced in 06
• Ballot Measure Targets
• Arizona, California, Colorado, Michigan, Oregon,
  Washington

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Planning Decisions _at_ the Ballot Box

• Floridas Hometown Democracy Amendment
• Ballot Box Approval of Comp Plan Amendments
• Strange Bedfellows
• South Dakotas Bechen v. Moody County Board of
  Commissioners
• Referenda on Administrative vs. Legislative
  Decisions
• Housing Growth Boundaries
• California

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For more information ...
Jason Jordan, Advocacy Associates,
LLC jjordan_at_advocacyassociates.com Visit
www.cfte.org for details on transit ballot
measures and elections.