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Ballot question

City of Seattle Proposition 1: transit sales tax (0.15% → up to 0.3%)

On the ballot in
City of Seattle
Vote
Yes or no
Election
Nov 3, 2026

The question, as printed on the ballot

The City of Seattle adopted Ordinance No. 127474 concerning funding for transit service and related transportation needs in Seattle. The City of Seattle's Proposition 1 would dedicate funding to transit services benefiting Seattle residents, including more frequent service; affordable fare programs for qualifying individuals; reliability, access, and climate projects; enhanced service on RapidRide and routes serving regional centers and high equity priority areas; facilitation of Sound Transit expansion; and others as provided in Ordinance 127474. It authorizes a 0.3% sales and use tax for up to ten years to replace the current voter-approved 0.15% sales tax expiring March 31, 2027. Should this Proposition be approved?

A “Yes” vote means

Authorizes a Seattle sales and use tax of up to 0.3% for up to ten years, from April 2027, for transit service and programs, replacing the 0.15% tax expiring March 31, 2027.

A “No” vote means

The city is not authorized to replace its 0.15% transit sales tax, which expires March 31, 2027.

Official plain English statement

In 2020, Ordinance 126250 enacted a 0.15 percent, six-year sales and use tax for transportation purposes. The tax was enacted under authority granted to the City by Seattle voters in approving Ordinance 126115. The tax expires March 31, 2027. To replace this funding, Proposition 1 proposes granting the City authority to enact a sales and use tax for transit purposes by a future ordinance, with a maximum rate of 0.3 percent and a maximum length of ten years. The new tax cannot take effect earlier than April 1, 2027. Tax revenue would be only for purposes described in Ordinance 127474, including (among others): King County Metro services with over 65 percent of stops within Seattle; implementing King County Regional Transit Safety Task Force recommendations; service hours on current and future RapidRide lines serving Seattle, connections to regional centers, and routes serving high equity priority areas; programs supporting transit access for qualifying seniors, individuals with disabilities, residents of low-income housing, youth and young adults, students, and others; planning for and deployment of increased electric transit in certain pollution-impacted communities; transit infrastructure maintenance and capital improvements; and staffing of programs to facilitate Sound Transit 3 projects. The Seattle Transit Advisory Board will serve as the public oversight committee charged with advising on spending of Proposition 1 revenues. Annual and midterm City reports, as well as reports requested in partnership with King County Metro, will evaluate the effectiveness of money spent and services provided. For questions about this measure, contact: Polly Grow, Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission, (206) 615-1248, [email protected]

Sources

The question and plain English statement are copied word for word from official election materials. The Gist does not take a side on ballot questions.