Seattle passed Proposition 1 by an overwhelming 81.6% to 18.4% margin in election night returns, ensuring $39 million in annual transit funding to stave off deep bus service cuts. While Mayor Jenny Durkan and Transportation Chair Alex Pedersen proposed a smaller measure fretting over perceived headwinds from the pandemic and recession, Seattle proved those worries unfounded. This city loves transit.
Luckily, Councilmember Tammy Morales stepped in to propose doubling the Prop 1 package. That move led Council President M. Lorena González to negotiate a compromise package that was 50% larger than the Mayor’s, upping the sales tax from 0.1% to 0.15%. The compromise amendment passed 8-1–with only Councilmember Pedersen opposed–and that version appeared on the ballot along with $1.7 billion in Harborview Medical Center funding (another source of anxiety among policymakers worried of a tax backlash) which also passed easily.
The landslide win is a reminder to question leaders who insist on austerity, particularly when it comes to transit. Their instincts were incredibly wrong. We should be seeking to continue to invest in transit, biking, and pedestrian infrastructure–and in social housing and Covid relief.
The favorable result paired with the Washington Supreme Court striking down Tim Eyman’s “$30 car tabs” Initiative 976 means we can maintain similar bus service levels despite the recession’s drain on King County Metro’s budget. It ensures that free ORCA transit passes for high school students and Seattle Housing Authority residents will continue. In 2019, 70% of Seattle residents lived within a ten-minute walk of frequent transit, and Prop 1’s renewal of the Seattle Transportation Benefit District allows us to maintain that proud distinction, which helped us lead the nation in transit ridership growth.
A strong campaign
The impressive showing for Prop 1 is a testament to the strong campaign that Yes For Seattle ran. Led by campaign manager Emilio Garza and talented organizers Olivia Sarriugarte and Yes Segura, Yes For Transit had disciplined messaging and completed an incredible amount of voter contacts, relying on textbanks and phonebanks with the traditional door-knocking route impeded by Covid precautions. The Urbanist endorsed the campaign and co-hosted one of those textbanks. The coalition behind the campaign was broad, running the gambit from labor to business to Democratic Party and advocacy groups.
