This page provides an overview of major elections related to transportation in the U.S., that are planned for November 8, 2022. Major referenda for transportation for voters to approve and major mayoral and gubernatorial races are detailed. As results come in, this page will be updated. Note: The tables are easier to visualize on desktop/tablet.
Check out What’s on the Ballot on Bolts Mag for a whole variety of other key local races around the country. For a full accounting of all transportation measures, see CFTE.
Local referenda on transportation
| Location and referendum | Details | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Ann Arbor-Ypsilati, Michigan property tax (August 2022) | Millage proposal would raise $110 million for five years and expand transit services, including increased weekend and night frequencies. | Passed |
| Arlington, Virginia bond | $53 million bond would fund local transportation capital projects, including $43 million for Metro improvements | Passed |
| Athens-Clarke County, Georgia 1-cent sales tax (May 2022) | TSPLOST would raise $145 million for five years by continuing an existing tax. | Passed |
| Boulder County, Colorado, 0.1-cent sales tax | Renewal of existing tax would raise $121 million over 20 years. 55% of funds for roads; 15% for transit; 15% for trails. | Passed |
| Detroit region SMART Transit services property taxes | –Macomb County, 0.95 millage rate renewal for 5 years, raising $155.5 million. –Oakland County, 0.95 millage rate for 10 years, raising $662 million –Wayne County, 0.994 millage rate renewal for 4 years, raising $80.8 million | All passed |
| El Paso County, Colorado, 1-cent sales tax | Renewal of existing 1-cent sales tax for transportation over 10 years, raising $4.7 billion. Most of funds would be dedicated to roadway projects. | Passed |
| Fresno County, California, half-cent sales tax renewal | Measure C would be renewed early for 20 years, raising $6.8 billion. Most of funds would be distributed to roads, with about 11% for transit services. | TBD |
| Hillsborough County, Florida (Tampa) 1-cent sales tax | Would raise taxes for 30 years. 45% of revenue would be allocated for HART transit service; the remainder would go to local jurisdictions and the MPO. Similar to 2018 referendum that passed, but later ruled unconstitutional by state supreme court. This has also been ruled unconstitutional, so it is unclear whether the results will be accepted. | Failed |
| New Hanover County, North Carolina (Wilmington) 0.25-cent sales tax | Would raise $140 million over 10 years. 40% for bike/ped; 46% for transit; and 16% to realign freight rail routes to cut delays. | Failed |
| Orange County, Florida (Orlando) 1-cent sales tax | Transportation sales tax referendum would raise $12 billion for 20 years to improve transportation. 45% of revenues for transit; 45% for county roads; and 10% for municipal needs. | Failed |
| Sacramento County, California half-cent sales tax | Measure A would be a 40-year, $8.5 billion tax proposal (citizens’ initiative); would fund Green Line to airport and create Capital Southeast Connector Expressway. | TBD |
| San Francisco, California bond (June 2022) | Muni reliability and street safety bond would raise $400 million, of which $314 million would go to Muni transit service improvements. Requires 2/3 voter approval. | Failed |
| San Francisco, California measures on returning cars to JFK Drive | Proposition I would allow cars on JFK Drive and connecting streets; Proposition J would reaffirm council vote to keep JFK drive for ped and bike uses | JFK Drive will remain car-free |
| San Francisco, California half-cent sales tax renewal | Measure L would extend the current sales tax for an additional 30 years, raising about $100 million annually | Likely Passed |
Statewide referenda on transportation
| State | Referendum | Details | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | Prop 30 | Would raise taxes on the rich to support electric vehicle deployment and combatting wildfires. Would raise $3.5-5 billion annually. | Failed |
| MA | Income tax | Income tax for education and transportation would increase income tax by 4% for high earners of over $1 million; revenues could be partly used for transportation. | Passed |
Major mayoral races
| Location | Major candidates | Key transport differences on platforms | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX | Celia Israel (D), Kirk Watson (D), Phil Campero Brual, Anthony Bradshaw, Jennifer Virden, Gary Spellman in nonpartisan race | –Israel wants to put I-35 underground; ensure completion of Project Connect light rail & BRT; embrace vision zero. –Watson wants better roads & ped/bike infra; expand Austin airport; get transit on I-35. –Brual wants to ensure transit benefits small business. –Virden wants to expand I-35 to move more cars; wants to use innovation to ease traffic congestion. | Israel & Watson going to runoff |
| Long Beach, CA | Rex Richardson, Suzie Price in nonpartisan race | –Richardson wants to expand rail capacity at port; increase EV charger availability; create a Transportation Equity Collaborative to improve transport options. –Price wants to speed up permitting for housing near transit. | TBD |
| Los Angeles, CA | Karen Bass (D), Rick Caruso in nonpartisan race | –Bass wants free transit; expand shade & shelter at bus stops; expand EV infra.; introduce universal basic mobility program; treat street safety as a crisis. –Caruso wants community based transit; conversion of Orange Line to light rail; achieve vision zero commitment. | TBD |
| Louisville, KY | Craig Greenberg (D), Bill Dieruf (R) | –Greenberg wants to build homes near transit, including dense, mixed-use infill; improve transit to create corridors of opportunity with a focus on routes for working families; carbon-neutral city and neighborhoods that are walkable and bikeable. –Dieruf wants light rail to the airport; circulator buses to get people to jobs. | Greenberg |
| Oakland, CA | Sheng Thao, Loren Taylor, Treva Reid, Ignacio de la Fuente, Seneca Scott, Alyssa Victory in nonpartisan race (instant runoff) | –Thao wants to bring equitable transit to East & West Oakland; dense transit-adjacent affordable housing; implement bike plan; expand BRT; regional transit coordination. –Taylor wants to strengthen traffic enforcement to stop reckless driving; engage with communities; reduce transport costs; BRT on San Pablo. –Reid wants to address transportation costs; traffic calming measures; flat fare for low-income transit users. –De La Fuente wants efforts to get people to follow traffic laws. –Scott wants to better enforce traffic laws. –Victory says bike infra. is inaccessible, wants to expand it, is considering car-free roads. | TBD |
| Providence, RI | Brett Smiley (D), no competitor | –Wants to expand access to sustainable transit options. | Smiley |
| Raleigh, NC | Mary-Ann Baldwin (inc.), Terrance Ruth, DaQuanta Copeland, all Dem. in nonpartisan race | –Baldwin pushing for commuter rail from Raleigh–Durham; supports fare-free transit, BRT, & vision zero. –Copeland supports transport investments; wants to stop gentrification. –Ruth opposes reducing speed limit to 25 mph, but supposed ped. safety & transit investments. | Baldwin |
| San Jose, CA | Cindy Chavez, Matt Mahan, both Dem. in nonpartisan race | –Chavez wants to develop affordable housing on land along transit corridors; move VTA transit fleet to EVs. –Mahan wants development downtown & in urban villages; wants to expand BRT service; expand bike network. | TBD |
| Tallahassee, FL | John Dailey (inc.), Kristin Dozier in nonpartisan race | –Dozier wants to expand transit. | Dailey |
| Trenton, NJ | Reed Gusciora (inc.), Cherie Garrette, Kathy McBride, Robin Vaughn in nonpartisan race | –Gusciora has supported EV ride share program; moving buses to electric fleet. –Vaughn wants state of the art roads and bridges. | Gusciora |
| Washington, DC | Muriel Bowser (inc., D), Corren Brown (Green), Rodney Grant (I), Stacia Hall (R) | –Bowser wants to expand bus & bike lanes, including through reducing car lanes; supports congestion pricing; supports fare-free transit. –Grant wants to make streets safer for bikers and peds.; wants more transit users; supports speed cameras. –Hall wants fare evasion to be a crime; urgency to fixing roads; regional solutions for WMATA. | Bowser |