The Sales Tax and Ballot Language

The key to passing something with 66+% of the vote is to make whatever you want to pass seem totally uncontroversial. Many people will head into the ballot booth this November with no idea what's up for a vote except a few big-name measures or candidates, so the actual words written on the ballot are hugely important because they may literally be the only election information some people read all year.

Now Metro and the city have surely screwed up many parts of the Measure R roll out, but the ballot language they got approved is pretty much as good as you could write it without, you know, lying and just telling people it's free money and their cars will magically fly from here on out. 

Here's an overly detailed phrase-by-phrase look:

"Traffic Relief"  -- Duh. Lead with your strongest (and most inaccurate) selling point. I don't expect Measure R to reduce traffic in any way, but I do expect it to provide more alternatives to traffic, and so let's be friendly and say this isn't a lie.

"Rail Extensions" -- Yup.

"Reduce Foreign Oil Dependence" -- Hah. Great. Way to jump on the national presidential bandwagon. With Obama and McCain trying to out do each other on this issue, it's already had a lot of seeds planted everywhere. Now as for how realistic this is... Well, hey, at least it's better than their original idea to claim that Measure R would battle global warming.

"Synchronize Traffic Signals" -- Okay, sure, but I swear, this is a trick the Mayor has been running for years now. Every three months he announces some new traffic synchronization plan to goose an extra fifteen seconds out of someone's east-west commute by stealing them from someone else's north-south commute, and vice versa. At this point, this seems essentially meaningless, but what do I know.

"Repair potholes" -- Who could be against repairing potholes!? Nobody, that's who! ... Okay, maybe libertarians.

"Extend light rail with airport extension" -- Interesting how they phrased this. Clearly airport extensions are a big selling point for most people. It's one of the few situations people can actually imagine themselves using public transit.

"Improve freeway traffic flow (5, 10, 14, 60, 101, 110, 138, 210, 405, 605, 710)" -- Wonderfully generic. Basically making everyone think that this measure is going to somehow, someway improve traffic on every freeway everywhere. This is probably the key to selling the measure. You hide the rail and bus stuff and emphasize the freeway stuff.

"Keep senior/student/disabled fares low" -- Who could be against this? Oh wait, right, libertarians, sorry.

"Provide clean–fuel buses" -- Really? News to me.

"Expand subway/Metrolink/bus service" -- That "Metrolink" part may not be quite the selling point it was a month ago.

"Dedicate millions for community traffic relief" -- Meaningless pablum.

"Shall Los Angeles County’s sales tax increase one–half cent for 30 years with independent audits, public review of expenditures, all locally controlled?" -- And the actual bite. Nicely buried at the end after all the promises, and with the final words you see if you're skimming being "independent audits," "public review," and "locally controlled."

On the whole, a very good job of hiding the vegetables underneath all the candy. Tomorrow I'll take a look at the For and Against Arguments written into the Voter Information Booklet.
-Simon

Comments

[browne]

But there is no magic Simon. Where are the Keebler elves and mother goose? To me the bill is lacking because I wanted some language about turning busses into glass carriages!!!

Good post. I do like the independent audit aspect.

BusTard and I were talking yesterday and he said libertarians are lazy anarchists...lol...

[Bert Green]

I like the idea of "a very good job of hiding the vegetables underneath all the candy." Very apt.

[ellen]

Despite the pages of information which a voter should take time to read, this measure is really simple. Do you like traffic the way it is? How much worse do you think it will be when 3 million more people - by birthrate alone -are using our streets and freeways over the next 30 years? It's easy to pick something apart. Coming up with a workable alternative is where the real heavy lifting comes in. There is NO new money coming in from any source over the next 30 years to build any of the projects in Metro's Long Range Transportation Plan. Twenty five years ago, LA County didn't have a rail or bus system worthy of the name. Previous sales tax measures paid for the system Metro has built to this point. The politicians who oppose Measure R claim that this ordinance will serve the narrow interests of the few? Where will the money come from for the projects like the Eastside and Foothill Gold Lines and other improvements to rail, bus and freeways in their districts? MEASURE R.

Please, folks, take a look at the facts. 20% of revenues will go to buy buses and operate an improved system. 35% will go to rail. 20% to highways, goods movement, carpool lanes and soundwalls. Local return: 15%. This means every one of the 88 cities in the county gets money to resurface streets, repair potholes, add bikeways, synchronize signals, etc. The rest of the sales tax revenue goes to rail operations, Metrolink improvement projects and Metro rail capital improvements like rail cars and rail yards. $40 billion will allow the County to leverage federal and state funds to build projects all over the county. Vote 'Yes' on Measure R.