Getting Started on a Ballot Measure Campaign

Friday, January 15, 2010

Six Stops to Success Putting your Transportation Message in Service

February 19, 2010: Building a Winning Coalition

March 19, 2010: Making Your Message Matter

April 23, 2010: Social Media: Friending, Tweeting & Blogging Your Way to Success

May 14, 2010: Silencing the Naysayers

All webinars will begin at 1:00 PM ET. Registration is available online at www.cfte.org or www.napta.net

Upcoming Webinars

California Transit Initiatives Training Workshop

Sacramento, CAMarch 9, 2010

Sheraton Grand Hotel

This workshop is an abridged version of the biannual Transit Initiatives and Communities Conference tailored to meet the needs of communities in California. For more information visit www.cfte.org.

Sessions to Include:•Winning Campaigns & Effective Coalitions•Marketing & Media Strategies that Work

•Building the Transit Vote Coalition•California Statewide Measure

APTA's 2010 Local Coalition

Grant Program• Ten $5000 Grants to be awarded

•Projects designed to support local transit agencies advocate for more local and state funding encouraged

•Contact Kylah Hynes (khynes@apta.com) for more information

Getting Started on a Ballot Measure Campaign

Today’s Program• Campaign Principles• Keys to Success• Election Issues• Lessons Learned• Seattle Story• Audience Questions

Speakers

• Art Guzzetti, Vice President of Policy, American Public Transportation Association

• Alan Wulkan, Co-Founder/Managing Partner of InfraConsult, LLC, Scottsdale, AZ

• Joni Earl, CEO of Sound Transit, Seattle, WA

Getting Started on a Ballot Measure

Campaign

Alan C. WulkanManaging Partner

Santa Clara Beats the Odds

Phoenix Voters Put Transit on Track

Kansas City Voters Reject Light Rail

Monorail in Seattle Springs Back to Life

Seattle-Area Voters OK Transit Tax Hike

Three Counties Support Transit Tax in Utah

METRO’s Train Comes In: Rail Plan Approved in Houston

High Speed Rail Service Wins in Florida

Charlotte Voters Rally in Support of Transit Tax

National Election Results

Source: Center for Transportation Excellence

Principles

● Focus on winning

● Follow keys to success

● Survey early and often

● Early fund raising

● Keep it simple

● Transit elections are unique

● Answer the question, “What’s in it for me?”

Keys to Success

● Champion(s)● Professional political consultant● Grassroots support● Campaign funding

Keys to Success

● Champion(s)Recognized household nameNo political interestTime commitmentExamples

○ Former Mayor – Austin, Texas○ Chamber Leaders – Tempe, Arizona○ Former City Council – Tempe, Arizona○ City Councilman – Charlotte, NC

Keys to Success

● Professional political consultantLocal vs. nationalGet the best availableListen to the consultantIssue campaign experienceRealistic budgetCampaign strategy critical

Keys to Success

● Grassroots supportBusiness communityNeighborhood groupsCommunity organizations

○ League of women voters○ Service organizations

Speakers bureauDiverse support

Keys to Success

● Campaign fundingCommittee chair keyBroad-based finance committee

○ Set realistic budget○ Money comes late○ Big and small contributions○ Know the law

Election Issues

● What’s in it for me?● The 1% myth● All rail systems over budget and little

ridership● Transit should pay for itself● Cheaper options

Election Issues

● Other priorities● Government mistrust● Empty buses● Transit does little for air quality● National anti-rail experts

Elections SummaryLessons Learned ● Usually multiple attempts before a funding

referendum is passed● Outcome often more influenced by other issues

(the economy, government interest, etc.) than support for public transit

● Can succeed as stand-alone or in combination with highway proposition

● The most successful campaigns had grassroots support and professional management

Elections SummaryLessons Learned ● Many well-financed, well-endorsed tax

initiatives fail due to grassroots opposition● Successful transit election is more likely if:

You have a good mapSpecific projects are linked with the funding

requestProposition is focused at the short-term and

immediate time frames● Most transit elections usually are close

because a relatively small number of direct constituencies benefit from the tax

Sound Transit

Six Stops to Success—A Six-PartWebinar Series

Part II: Getting started on a ballot measure campaign

Joni EarlSound Transit CEO

January 15, 2010

Huge roads-transit plan gets trounced (Nov. 2007)

Sound Transit turns to citizens in push for expansion plans (April 2008)

Sound Transit sending voters $17.9 billion rail-and-bus plan (July 2008)

How transit supporters closed the deal with voters (Nov. 2008)

Leadership

Content

Know your audience

Make the case

Close the deal

Key ingredients to success

Leadership

Sound Transit Board 2008

Content

Know your audience

Make the case

=

Close the deal

Oran Viriyinci photo

Questions & Discussion

Six Stops to Success Putting your Transportation Message in Service

February 19, 2010: Building a Winning Coalition

March 19, 2010: Making Your Message Matter

April 23, 2010: Social Media: Friending, Tweeting & Blogging Your Way to Success

May 14, 2010: Silencing the Naysayers

All webinars will begin at 1:00 PM ET. Registration is available online at www.cfte.org or www.napta.net

Upcoming Webinars

California Transit Initiatives Training Workshop

Sacramento, CAMarch 9, 2010

Sheraton Grand Hotel

This workshop is an abridged version of the biannual Transit Initiatives and Communities Conference tailored to meet the needs of communities in California. For more information visit www.cfte.org.

Sessions to Include:•Winning Campaigns & Effective Coalitions•Marketing & Media Strategies that Work

•Building the Transit Vote Coalition•California Statewide Measure

APTA's 2010 Local Coalition

Grant Program• Ten $5000 Grants to be awarded

•Projects designed to support local transit agencies advocate for more local and state funding encouraged

•Contact Kylah Hynes (khynes@apta.com) for more information

For More Information on CFTE:www.cfte.orginfo@cfte.org

(202) 234-7562

For More Information on NAPTA:www.napta.netinfo@napta.net(202) 496-4807