APTA Transit Ballot Initiatives Workshop Probes Success Factors in Transit Elections

From left: Art Guzzetti, APTA vice president – mobility initiatives and public policy; Darryl Haley; Taylor Dalton, former coalition leader & campaign manager, Move Forward PAC, Yes on Issue 7; Paul P. Skoutelas; Brandy Jones, chief communications & marketing officer, SORTA; Pete Metz, vice president, civic and regional partnerships, Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber; Kim Schaefer, partner, Vorys law firm; Kreg Keesee, former SORTA board chair.

APTA’s Transit Ballot Initiatives Workshop, Dec. 9-11 in Cincinnati, OH, brought together elected officials, chambers of commerce leaders, grass-roots voices, coalition partners, campaign professionals, and public transportation agency representatives to share insights on transit campaigns. More than 140 attendees heard from communities that have conducted recent transit elections and shared how those experiences can be useful to regions considering transit elections in the coming years.

APTA President and CEO Paul P. Skoutelas stated: “2024 was another remarkable year for transit ballot measures, with voters supporting transit in 51 of 61 elections, an 84 percent approval rate. Transit elections won in 2024 will generate upwards of $25 billion in dedicated, multi-year funding to support public transportation. Funds will be used to enhance transit service, improve reliability, and expand it where warranted.”

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval joined Skoutelas in the Opening General Session, which featured local leaders from the Cincinnati business community, government, and neighborhoods for an in-depth discussion of Hamilton County’s 2020 All in for Transportation campaign. The Cincinnati / Hamilton County story is quite remarkable, both in winning a transit election during the initial stages of the COVID pandemic, and also the ways revenues have been used to improve transit service, grow ridership, and help create a better community in the process. In his remarks, Skoutelas noted how impressed he has been in visits to the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority/Metro over the past several years and complimented Chief Executive Officer & General Manager Darryl Haley and the Metro team for using the resources of the All in for Transportation campaign to make positive impacts for the community.

From left: Pete Metz; Taylor Dalton; John Cranley, former Cincinnati mayor; Kim Schaefer; Kreg Keesee.

The Transit Ballot Initiatives Workshop included discussions on the essentials of transit campaigns, such as polling, television and digital advertising, field mobilization, and direct mail. The workshop also covered case studies from several campaigns, allowing for a deeper understanding of specific factors such as ballot language, forming a campaign committee, fundraising, understanding the opposition, voter turnout strategies, and the importance of maintaining support after election day.

“APTA created its Center for Transportation Excellence—CFTE—25 years ago to serve as a resource for communities considering transit ballot measures,” said Skoutelas. “CFTE offers direct campaign experience and know-how to help understand how regions can position transit elections. It shares best practices and research from other campaigns to help bring success to your efforts.”

Communities considering a transit ballot measure should contact CFTE Executive Director Jessica Grennan at jess@cfte.org.