Transit on the Ballot: Do’s and Don’ts for Winning Campaigns

Link to the archived livestream of the event.

What does a winning strategy for a transit referendum look like? Transit advocates will improve their chances on election day by learning not just from prior successes, but from failures as well.

In May 2018, Nashville voters sided against an ambitious ballot measure to expand the rail and bus system. “Derailed,” a new report from TransitCenter, examines how the Nashville referendum was weakened by rushed, insular planning that produced a transportation package out of touch with the needs and desires of Nashville transit riders.

With cities like Austin, Cincinnati, and San Antonio asking voters to fund transit in 2020, now is the time to revisit the Nashville story and other transit referendum campaigns.

Join us for an evening panel featuring the author of “Derailed” and veterans of transit ballot campaigns in Nashville, Seattle, and Indianapolis. They’ll share lessons about how to put together a plan that gets voters excited about supporting transit and strategies for effective coalition-building.

Panelists:

Zak Accuardi, Technical Advisor Transit at Natural Resources Defense Council

Alex Hudson, Executive Director at Transportation Choices Coalition (Washington)

Nora Kern, Executive Director at Walk Bike Nashville

Mandla Moyo, Director of Community Engagement at AARP (Indiana)

Moderator:

Steven Higashide, Director of Research at TransitCenter

Event is free and open to the public. CART services will be present at the event.

Must RSVP to attend. An RSVP does not guarantee a seat.

Doors open at 6pm, Program begins at 6:30pm. We kindly request that you arrive no earlier than 6pm.

Light appetizers to be served.