The affordability election delivered billions for public transit

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For a wide swath of voters, transit funding doesn’t compete with affordability concerns. It’s part of the answer.

In an election dominated by concerns about affordability, voters across the country overwhelmingly agreed to raise taxes to preserve or expand public transit.

Out of 27 ballot measures supporting transit, 22 passed on November 3, representing $27.4 billion in funding to rescue faltering systems and expand or build new ones. Some of the biggest wins of the night included voters in the San Francisco Bay Area staving off enormous cuts to Bay Area Rapid Transit and other regional systems, Coloradans backing new regional rail, and residents of Seattle and nearby Pierce County favoring expanded bus service.

“It’s an indication that the public is willing to pay for these public transit improvements,” said Sohail Husain, a policy analyst at the Eno Center for Transportation. “That’s very telling –– especially in a world like today where people are concerned about affordability. I think people are still also concerned about mobility and having options to move.”

Public transit has now fared well in the red wave of 2024 — when 19 out of 25 measures supporting transit passed — and this year’s blue wave. Although few candidates campaigned on the issue, the results could significantly alter policy. At the state level, transit advocates see opportunities to advance projects or simply get the government out of the way. Meanwhile, a Democratic majority in Congress will shape a major transportation infrastructure law that is up for renewal. Together, the results could remake how Americans get around.

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States have broad discretion to fund transportation as they see fit, which is why Democratic wins in red states and Democratic control of the governorship and both legislative chambers in 22 states have many public transit advocates excited about what comes next.

Pennsylvania is one of those states. It has endured a bitter battle over the finances of the Southeastern…

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