5 Reasons to Vote No on Propositions 418 and 419
This March, Pima County voters will decide on Propositions 418 and 419, together known as RTA Next. These measures would extend the regional sales tax and lock in a transportation plan for the next 20 years. This vote will shape our streets, our transit system, and how public dollars are spent for a generation.
RTA Next takes our region in the wrong direction.
Before you cast your vote, here are five things to know about the shortfalls of this ballot measure.
1. Dangerous streets come at a cost, and this plan doesn’t measure it.
Nearly 20 years after the first RTA, Tucson streets remain among the most dangerous in the country. Pedestrian fatalities have increased by 243 percent, and the Pima County Health Department recently named roadway safety a top three public health priority for the first time.
RTA Next fails to address this crisis. Crash data and safety outcomes did not guide a system-wide approach to selecting projects, and the plan includes no metrics to track progress. RTA Next has programmed $2.4 billion to the roadway category. Of that, 72% goes to road widenings or expansion projects designed to move more cars fast. This leaves only 28% for modernization or projects that aligned with Complete Streets design. Every dollar spent on roadway expansion is a dollar not spent on proven, data-driven investments that save lives.
Even though proponents say the tax rate won’t increase with Proposition 418 and 419, the true cost of unsafe streets and missed safety improvements is paid with lives, not just dollars. Crashes and injuries strain families, neighbors, and emergency services. A plan that doesn’t measure outcomes leaves people at risk and fails our community.
2. This is a project list with no guiding metrics or equitable governance.
A top-tier regional transportation plan includes sound analysis as well as actionable strategy. It should be guided by clear values such as safety, equity, climate responsibility, and access and use those values to decide which projects get funded and where.
RTA Next does not clearly show those values at work. Instead, it is a collection of handpicked projects assembled to satisfy individual jurisdictions – some of which have the tax base to fund their local priorities themselves – rather than a coordinated strategy to reduce traffic deaths, expand transit, or connect people to opportunity. When every jurisdiction gets a list, no one gets a system.
The RTA’s Community Advisory Committee, appointed to develop the shared regional values, was sidelined, ignored, and ultimately disbanded. They never approved the final plan sent to voters, leaving the public without meaningful oversight. Administrative rules that govern the citizen’s committee provide no guardrails, and their authority can be changed at any time, leaving oversight uncertain and easily reversed.
Another major structural concern: there is no proportional representation on the RTA Board. Tucson residents have the same vote as much smaller jurisdictions, meaning our priorities can be blocked or effectively disenfranchised despite our population size, greater needs, and outsized contributions. Without codified changes to guarantee accountability, transparency, and meaningful community input, this plan risks locking the region into another generation of inequitable outcomes.
3. Transit is essential but remains secondary.
Transit is vital for safety, economic opportunity, and climate resilience, yet RTA Next treats it as an afterthought. The Pima Association of Governments’ Regional Mobility and Accessibility Plan (RMAP) identifies roughly $3 billion in regional transit needs, but RTA Next funds only 24%, the same proportion as the first RTA in 2006. RTA Next includes only partial funding for high-capacity improvements that are dependent on federal support. RMAP calls transit funding the “regional challenge,” noting it routinely relies on Tucson’s General Fund. While state law makes funding public transit the RTA’s only statutory requirement, it remains secondary in this plan.
A “no” vote does not mean an end to transit. Local governments can work together with Pima County to enact short-term funding measures that keep transit running while a better, more equitable plan is developed. Voting no creates space to do this work right, together.
Without robust investment to frequent, reliable transit, Tucson cannot fully support workers, attract employers, or build thriving mixed-use corridors. Modest expansions cannot undo decades of underinvestment, especially without safe walking and biking connections.
4. Tucson pays for projects not aligned with our values.
A significant majority of Pima County's sales tax, often estimated to be around 60-70% or more, is generated within the City of Tucson, but it would likely receive about 44%, leaving an estimated $400 million on the table. Some proponents claim Tucson will get over 50%, but that only happens if undelivered projects from the 2006 RTA are counted. Residents have already paid for those projects and should not be counted twice.
In practice, Tucson taxpayers are subsidizing a regional plan that disproportionately benefits wealthier suburbs, where median household incomes are nearly twice Tucson’s, while those communities avoid funding their own priorities. Tucson already invests in sidewalks, bikeways, traffic calming, repaving, and other local transportation needs and could continue doing so while collaborating on shared regional projects.
Instead, RTA Next asks Tucsonans to fund projects outside our community, some of which conflict with Tucson’s values, including Complete Streets and the Climate Action Plan, rather than investing in the neighborhoods where we actually live.
5. Tucson deserves a plan that moves us forward.
Twenty years after the first RTA, Tucson still has dangerous streets, underdeveloped transit, and stalled projects. Revenue shortfalls and politically driven decisions have left our city behind.
RTA Next asks Tucsonans to pay again for a plan that has not delivered. It locks in governance gaps, limited accountability, and few guarantees that investments will make meaningful improvements to address safety, transit, or equity.
Tucson residents have a track record of backing smart transportation choices through local funding measures. We are not here to simply say no. We are here to mobilize a yes to a transparent, intentional, community-driven plan that invests in safety, reliable transit, and vibrant neighborhoods, reflecting our shared values.
Read our full position statement: Rethink, Don’t Repeat: Why RTA Next Falls Short.
Have more questions of the nuts and bolts of RTA? You can read a recap here.
Important Dates
All Pima County registered voters are eligible and will be mailed a ballot. Check your Voter Registration to make sure it's up to date.
· Ballots mailed to Uniformed and Overseas Voters: Friday, January 23
· Last day to register to vote: Monday, February 9
· Early Voting begins / Early Ballots mailed: Wednesday, February 11
· Last day to request Mail Ballot: Friday, February 27
· Recommended deadline to mail back your ballot: Tuesday, March 3* (LSA recommends March 1st)
· Election Day: Tuesday, March 10
