Transit will be on the ballot on May 1
On February 6, Metro Council voted overwhelmingly to include the transit referendum on the May 1 ballot. This means the work of getting voters to the polls is officially underway.
The final tally for the February 6 vote was 34 yes, 2 no, 2 abstain and 1 not voting.
You can see a breakdown of the votes by Metro Council members here.
Now that transit is officially on the ballot, the work of voter education and registration has begun. As part of the Transit for Nashville coalition, we see the Chamber’s role as educating our member businesses on why we believe voting FOR transit will be beneficial for their business.
One reason is access. Right now, many Nashvillians do not have a safe, reliable transit option to get to work or school. The Let’s Move Nashville plan will increase their access to transit options and open up employment possibilities, and access to educational institutions. As more and more people achieve educational success, it will create an even more diverse, robust and quality pool of talent in the Nashville area.
Furthermore, the longer bus hours and increased routes will also give easier access to new areas of town for many individuals. This could lead to an influx of new customers for businesses in the neighborhoods that will see these updates.
The Chamber also sees our role in promoting the work of Project Register, a nonpartisan effort to increase the number Tennesseans who are registered to vote. Tennessee ranks 40 out of all states in voter registration and 50 in voter turnout. We hope that the excitement around the transit vote will help encourage citizens to get registered, or make sure their registration is up to date, so their voice can be heard in the early voting period which runs from April 11 to April 24, or on May 1.
Every vote will count in this election. There has been a lot of hard work up to this point to get transit on the ballot. Now, the business community needs to follow through and vote FOR transit so the Nashville area can continue to grow and thrive. To learn more about our transit efforts and to get engaged, visit nashvillechamber.com/transit.