Transit ballot measures pass across 11 states, averting Bay Area fiscal cliffs

Voters in 11 states approved transit funding measures in the 2026 general election, with victories in Seattle, Pierce County, Wash., Riverside and San Bernardino counties in California, the San Francisco Bay Area and Charleston, S.C., delivering new money for public transportation and, in several cases, pulling agencies back from projected fiscal cliffs.

All results remain unofficial. Mass Transit reports that most races have enough data for preliminary calls, with two exceptions: Tempe, Ariz., where published results were too sparse to call and early counts show the measure trailing, and the Front Range Passenger Rail District funding measure in Colorado, which appears poised to pass but has not been widely called.

What does the election change for the Bay Area?

The regional transportation measure funding Bay Area transit passed on early-return figures across five counties and the city of San Francisco. The Connect Bay Area campaign gathered more than 300,000 signatures to place it on the ballot.

The measure closes presumed funding shortfalls at Bay Area Rapid Transit and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, removing the most immediate budget threat facing the region's two largest operators.

"There is no doubt: the Bay Area believes in public transit," Connect Bay Area spokesperson Jeff Cretan said in a statement. "From the start of this historic campaign, the coalition behind the regional transit measure has been driven by a relentless focus to deliver a strong future for public transit. And thankfully, voters responded."

Cretan credited thousands of volunteers and coalition partners who worked over recent months to qualify the measure and then campaign for it. Before polls closed Tuesday, he told Mass Transit the campaign's outreach deliberately targeted voters with no direct transit use.

"You might not use public transportation, but it certainly impacts your life," Cretan said. "That might be your kid's teacher. It might be the person who works in the cafe down the street from you. Those buses and trains are essential for everyone to get around and they impact your life whether you take transit or not."

Where did measures fail?

Not every jurisdiction said yes. Greenville, S.C., rejected a transit tax measure for the second time in two years. Fresno, Calif., turned down Measure S, which would have created a new sales tax dedicated to transit funding.

California still posted a net gain on the night. Beyond the Bay Area package, Riverside and San Bernardino County measures passed, offsetting the Fresno loss.

What does Seattle's measure buy?

The Seattle Transit Measure passed despite criticism tied to a crowded ballot and voter sensitivity to multiple tax adjustments appearing at once.

The funding package pays for more than a quarter of a million bus trips per year and doubles the number of free ORCA cards distributed. It also funds construction projects, strengthens east-west bus service and creates frequent service across the entire day — nights, weekends and midday included — while improving access in the city's most transit-dependent neighborhoods.

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson framed the vote as the city's largest-ever service expansion.

"With this vote, Seattle voters are once again generously investing in building a transit system that is convenient to use, affordable to access and that easily connects them to opportunity and prosperity," Wilson said. "This measure will deliver the largest expansion of transit service in our city's history, double the low-income transit passes available to Seattleites and provide resources for faster and more reliable service."

How strong is transit's ballot record?

The 2026 general election extended a pattern. In the primary and special elections earlier in the cycle, transit ballot measures posted an 89% pass rate, and the November results in Seattle, the Bay Area, California's Inland Empire and Charleston tracked that trend.

Official certification of the remaining contests, including Tempe and the Front Range district, will determine whether the 2026 cycle closes with an even stronger record for transit funding at the ballot box.