Oregon voters reject transportation tax package
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Oregon voters overwhelmingly rejected a hike in gas taxes and other vehicle fees to fund transportation in Tuesday's primary election, according to the Associated Press.
Why it matters: The vote was the culmination of a long-running fight over how to fund road maintenance and transportation projects, but leaves many unanswered questions about where the state goes from here.
By the numbers: Opposition to Measure 120 was leading with 83% of the vote a little after 8pm Tuesday, per AP.
Catch up quick: The measure would've hiked the state's gas tax from $0.40 to $0.46, imposed a per-mile or flat fee on electric vehicles and raised both registration and title fees on passenger vehicles.
- All of that was intended to close a roughly $350 million gap in the Department of Transportation's budget.
- Democratic lawmakers in Salem needed a special session to pass a fix for the deficit and finally passed a bill last fall.
Yes, but: In Oregon, voters can reject bills passed in the Legislature through a referendum.
- Republican opponents of the bill gathered roughly 200,000 signatures earlier this year to get the question on the May primary ballot.
- Meanwhile, proponents of the bill asked voters to approve the gas tax hike even though some residents are cutting back on travel or canceling trips altogether due to spiking fuel prices.
The average price of a gallon of regular unleaded in Oregon was $5.34 this week — $0.80 cents higher than the national average and $1.39 more than the state average a year ago, per AAA.
What's next: State lawmakers will need to go back to the drawing board to figure out how to fund the state's transportation needs.
- In the meantime, Oregon's roads may only get worse.