Lessons From Washington State: Whatcom Transportation Authority WTA

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Tactics Strategies for Organizing Successful
Ballot Measure Campaigns

• Lessons From Washington StateWhatcom
  Transportation Authority (WTA)Skagit Transit
  (SKAT)

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Transportation Choices Coalitionat work!

• Bus service is an important transportation
  choice in communities -- rural and urban --
  across Washington. Transportation Choices
  Coalition has been out working with citizens in
  local communities, providing critical campaign
  support to help pass ballot measures to save and
  expand bus service.

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Attacks on Transit

• In 1999 voters passed Initiative 695
• Cut the tax on car tabs, an important source of
  revenue for bus service.
• I-695 was found to violate the state
  constitution, but Washington lawmakers decided to
  eliminate the tax anyway, due to strong support
  from voters
• The law resulted in 40 cut in revenues for bus
  service statewide. Some transit agencies lost as
  much as half their funding!

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• In 2000 the legislature enabled local areas to
  raise their sales tax by up to .9 to make up for
  the lost revenue.
• 12 of the 14 Transit Agencies in Washington that
  have gone to the Ballot have won!

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• Skagit Transit provides transit service
  throughout most of Skagit County with 10
  fixed-route buses and 8 Dial-A-Ride routes.

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• In September 2002, voters in Skagit county would
  decide if they wanted to pay an addition 0.2
  sales tax to support SKAT transit service.
  Without this increase in sales tax, SKAT would
  have to cut service by 53 . If the measure
  passed, SKAT will be able to maintain existing
  services while returning to the levels of service
  before the cuts brought on by the passage of
  I-695.

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• Richard Werbels Mineta Institute Study suggests
  that there are a list of about 17 key factors
  that forecast the success or failure of a transit
  ballot measure.

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• Traffic Congestion Crisis YSponsorship by
  Business Community NSponsorship by Key
  Elected Officials NFundraising over
  1million N (12,000)Recent Initiative
  Experience NSupport from Environmental
  Groups YMultiple Transit Modes NHighwa
  y Funding NBenefits Distributed Throughout
  the Area YSunset Provision NLack of
  Problems with Existing Transit System NExtensiv
  e Stakeholder Participation in
• Development of the Package NGeneral
  Election NConsultant with Initiative
  Campaign Experience NCombination Direct Mail
  TV Ads NLack of Effective Opposition N
  of Negative Factors 13

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• Successes
• A Strong Grassroots campaign with a planned GOTV
  (get out the vote) effort
• Skagit Transit Citizens Advisory Committee (15)
• Phone banks, door belling, literature drops,
  flyering at bus stops, gathered endorsements,
  letters to the editor, sign-waving
• Riders Employers that benefited directly from
  the service spoke at community events

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• Failures
• Lack of vocal board support
• Little public participation in the measures
  development
• Just let us keep what we have messaging
• Failure to address the perception that the
  community could be served without the fixed
  routes
• Failure to neutralize a well-funded, vocal,
  opposition
• Spent down reserves after the passage on I-695
• On September 17, Skagit Transit
• lost the election.

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Whatcom Transportation Authority(Bellingham,
Washington)

• In 2002, they carried 2,675,000 passengers (a
  more than 5 increase over 2001)
• They rank among the top three most productive
  transit agencies in Washington State (and have
  for the past five years) based on the average
  number of passengers they carry per hour.

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• Initiative 695 resulted in a 50 cut in public
  transportation funding in Whatcom County. WTA had
  been able to maintain services by drawing down
  reserve funds. The only way to avoid service cuts
  was to replace the funding with local taxes.

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• In early summer 2001 the WTA board conducted an
  extensive community outreach effort to discuss
  this dilemma with the community. Over 2000
  persons participated in community meetings,
  surveys and key leader meetings. Resoundingly
  those who responded indicated that public
  transportation is important to the community and
  that the WTA board should seek replacement of the
  lost funding. On March 12, 2002 WTA asked for
  a 3/10 of 1 sales tax increase.

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• Traffic Congestion Crisis YSponsorship by
  Business Community YSponsorship by Key
  Elected Officials YFundraising over 1
  million N (30,000)Recent Initiative
  Experience NSupport from Environmental
  Groups YMultiple Transit Modes NHighway
  Funding NBenefits Distributed Throughout
  the Area YSunset Provision NLack of
  Problems with Existing Transit System YExtensive
  Stakeholder Participation in
• Development of the Package YGeneral
  Election NConsultant with Initiative
  Campaign Experience YCombination Direct Mail
  TV Ads YLack of Effective Opposition Y
  of Negative Factors 6

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• Successes
• Phone banks, door belling, literature drops,
  flyering at bus stops, gathered endorsements,
  letters to the editor, sign-waving
• Get the publics opinion early on (before you
  announce your tax increase)
• Using the talents of the Board wisely (for
  fundraising, outreach, earned media
• A Strong Grassroots campaign with a planned GOTV
  (get out the vote) effort by the ATU   
  On March 12, 2002 WTA won their sales
  tax increase.