http://vote.wa.gov/Elections/WEI/ResultsByCountyMeasure.aspx?ElectionID=26&RaceID=101797&CountyCode=%20&JurisdictionTypeID=481&RaceTypeCode=M&ViewMode=Results

Sound Transit (A Regional Transit Authority) Proposition No. 1 Mass Transit Expansion King, Pierce, Snohomish
County	Measure	Vote	Vote %
King   Last updated on 11/5  |  2:07 AM Return to top
	Approved	183,797	61.94 %
	Rejected	112,961	38.06 %
	Total Votes	296,758	100.00%
Pierce   Last updated on 11/5  |  9:54 AM Return to top
	Approved	49,671	50.98 %
	Rejected	47,767	49.02 %
	Total Votes	97,438	100.00%
Snohomish   Last updated on 11/4  |  8:05 PM Return to top
	Approved	51,119	55.44 %
	Rejected	41,086	44.56 %
	Total Votes	92,205	100.00%
Total   Last updated on 11/5  |  9:54 AM Return to top
	Approved	284,587	58.51 %
	Rejected	201,814	41.49 %
	Total Votes	486,401	100.00%

http://www.snoco.org/elections/results/ecurrent.htm Last Updated: November 4, 2008 8:02 PM Registration & Turnout 372,636 Voters Vote Count Percent MAIL IN Turnout 169,138 45.39% AVU Turnout 0 0.00% Total 169,138 45.39% SOUND TRANSIT

408/408 100.00%

	Vote Count	Percent
APPROVED	51,119	55.44%
REJECTED	41,086	44.56%
Total	92,205	100.00%

Here’s where to go to get info on how all 3 counties voted on Sound Transit’s Proposition 1 for 2008:

http://vote.wa.gov/Elections/WEI/ResultsMeasure.aspx?ElectionID=26&RaceID=101797

The first results in from King County are: http://your.kingcounty.gov/elections/200811/Respage17.aspx

General Election

KING COUNTY

11/4/2008 8:06:23 PM

Unofficial Cumulative

November 4, 2008

Page 17 of 19

SPECIAL PURPOSE DISTRICT

SOUND TRANSIT (A REGIONAL TRANSIT AUTHORITY)

Ballots Cast/Registered Voters:

101697

/

964635

10.54%

Poll Precincts Counted/Total Poll

0

/

2248

0.00%

Proposition No. 1 - Mass Transit Expansion

APPROVED

57765

61.88%

REJECTED

35586

38.12%

The Seattle Weekly reports that the Washington Poll has released new results from a poll stating:

“Surprisingly, two initiatives that were winning flipped—Eyman’s 985, which had been up two points, is now down fifteen, while Prop 1, sadly, has gone from up seven to down eight, with an increasing number of undecideds. It seems voters have been reading the M.F. Truth.”

Here’s where to find the poll: http://www.washingtonpoll.org/results.html

We’ll see - I wonder whether it will take days for that outcome to become apparent.

Washington State really needs to make the mail-in ballots due by election day.

Endorsement - Sound Transit Prop. 1 Sound Politics, WA - 11 hours ago ... that will serve a nugatory share of the commuting public. Vote YES if you work for Sound Transit or one of its contractors. Or if you're a gullible idiot.

Read Mark Fefer’s article HERE:

“Sound Transit, naturally, prefers a different figure. In the campaign brochure mailed to voters, the agency provided a table showing estimated light-rail ridership in 2030 if we build ST2 and if we don’t build ST2. What a surprise—ridership more than doubles if we build it! Which is comically beside the point.

Of course if we expand light rail and eliminate the buses that travel the same routes, the number of people on light rail will increase.

But by that logic we might as well rebuild the old Bubble-ator—the giant plexiglass sphere that used to carry people between floors at the Seattle Center Food Circus (now known as the Center House). I guarantee you that if we rebuild that thing, and get rid of the stairs, Bubble-ator ridership will climb by 100 percent. Or more!

It’s this kind of sophistry that has made me so cynical about the light-rail campaign and its supporters over the years. Obviously light-rail opponents have their agenda too. But they at least seem to have the mindset of accountants, not sales reps.

They’ve also been wise enough to point out the environmental impacts of light-rail construction—which are huge, and will take decades to offset—rather than to pretend that a 55-mile light-rail line can simply descend from green heaven and give us all an instantly feel-good future.

If I thought we’d get a better plan by turning this one down, it would be easy to vote no. But I seriously doubt we will. Politicians will always prefer a bright new futuristic machine to the miseries of congestion pricing, dedicated lanes, traffic-signal changes, and other inconvenient techniques. A shiny bauble is what we’ve been offered, and it seems a whole lot better than nothing. Does anyone doubt we need some kind of major mass-transit expansion? Then again, this one’s being funded by a regressive tax that exploits the poor. Oh, you undecided voters, you flakes in flyover country, you’ve made me one of your own.

Do you know many ballot issues you’ll be facing this November? Twelve: Three statewide initiatives, one regional vote on light rail and eight proposed amendments to the King County Charter (or constitution), some of which matter a lot. How should you vote? Glad you asked.

Seattle P-I Columnist Joel Connelly writes about concern over-taxing people to the point where they can’t afford to live in Seattle:

“Although devoured by the Seattle P-I computer when we switched e-mail systems, the message from an elderly Beacon Hill couple about their tax burdens remains embedded in my mind. They wrote about reaching a point where they can’t afford to stay in their modest home of 40 years, and how nobody in government seems the least bit interested in hearing about it.”

Glad to see that someone is figuring out that taxpayers from both major parties, Democrats & Republicans, as well as Independents,  have serious challenges in their efforts to save for retirement, pay for medical care, send their children to college, and take care of their parents, along with the relentless ASKS from local elected officials, cities, counties, and agencies. Joel’s response?

“In short, just say no.”

More and more people are figuring out that  elected officials, cities, & counties separate out what they think is palatable to the taxpayers- parks, libraries, fire and police services- so that they can happily spend on non-essentials in the general fund on items they know the public WOULD NOT vote to approve.

Then there is the question of: what are we paying for?

Crosscut’s Ted Van Dyk wrote October 21, 2008 about Sound Transit’s transfer of taxpayer funds for voter “education” services (click here):

“State Auditor Brian Sonntag is investigating payments of taxpayer funds by the City of Seattle (authorized by Mayor and Sound Transit Board Chair Greg Nickels) to the Sound Transit-supporting Transportation Choices Coalition, which is campaigning for the light rail proposal.”

Now, here’s the top story from King 5 news alleging: “Did Bellevue break the law in push to pass parks levy?”

“But one thing cities can’t do is use tax dollars to help convince voters to say yes. It’s against state law. Yet the KING 5 Investigators have uncovered evidence that Bellevue has done exactly that in its determination to get a new parks levy passed.”

See the King 5 story on the Bellevue parks bond at: http://www.king5.com/topstories/stories/NW_102008INV_bellevue_parks_levy_SW.13007a1d8.html

How does the cumulative number of tax proposals  relate to transportation planning in the Puget Sound region? Here are Joel’s thoughts:

“There’s one more reason for the natives to be restless — the current financial crisis. Could we not curb urban vision until financial markets are again stable, and we find out how bad the stable smells?

Since World War II ended the Great Depression, Seattle has been a middle-class city. We’ve avoided an affliction of the used-up portions of America, cities as domains of the very rich and the very poor.

The Beacon Hill couple’s message is somewhere in cyberspace. I would hate to see them ejected from a city they love.”

Click to see RTF’s previous posts on this subject HERE. And on future infrastructure ASKS: HERE.

Our public officials are coming back with palms open just two years after the people of Seattle were hit up for $365 million in the "Bridging the Gap" street and bridge repair levy.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels will square off against Bellevue developer Kemper Freeman in a debate over the merits of $17.9 billion Proposition 1. The debate will be at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow at the University of Washington, Parrington Hall, Room 309. It will be hosted by the Evans School of Public Affairs. Proposition 1 would add more Express buses, expand commuter rail and build 36 miles of light rail in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties between 2009 and 2023.