Metro Election Results: Transit Plan Crushed

NASHVILLE, TN -- Nashvillians overwhelmingly rejected a multi-billion dollar transit plan and the four tax increases that would come with it in a Metro-wide referendum Tuesday.

Those with plans for all-night poll watching were able to switch over to the Predators playoff game even before the anthems were over, as early voting totals, as they tend to do, portended final results, with the Against side of the ledger winning early voters nearly two-to-one. That edge continued and with 70 percent of precincts reporting at 8:15 p.m., Against led 69 percent to 31.

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“We all can agree that we have to do something about traffic and transportation, but voters didn’t get behind this plan. My responsibility as Mayor is to get back to the drawing board and find the common ground to develop consensus on a new way forward. Our transportation problems are not going away; in fact, we know they’re only going to get more challenging as we continue to grow. I’ll get back to work tomorrow on finding a solution for Nashville that we all can agree on,” Mayor David Briley said in a statement.

The transit referendum asked for approval of a $5.4 billion plan that sought to add light rail, expand and improve bus service and construct a billion-dollar tunnel underneath downtown. It would have increased sales taxes by a half-cent every year for the next five years and then another full cent in 2023. It would have also raised the hotel/motel tax, the business tax and the rental car tax.