By Holden Minor Ringer, TCC’s Advocacy Manager
After almost a week of counting votes, on Monday, August 10th, we were able to celebrate a victory for the “Yes for Buses” campaign. This means funding for Spokane Transit Authority (STA) will be maintained over the next 20 years to keep buses running for the working people, students, seniors, and people with disabilities who depend on them to get around.
What we thought would be a simple and uncontroversial 0.2% sales tax renewal turned out to be anything but. This campaign had it all: energetic organizers willing to get tattoos of buses, cartoon villain antagonists seeking to cut transit in order to build a jail, and one of the most devastating fires in Washington State history the last weekend before the election. I wasn’t sure what to expect when we began working on the campaign in February, but nothing could prepare me for what would come.
A Superb Team for a Superb City
First off, I want to thank all of the incredible partners who we worked with on this campaign. This was a team of electeds, folks at STA, city employees, and community organizers that brought consistent energy to making sure that a transit system that gave nearly 11 million rides in 2025 would not lose service. I had the pleasure of visiting Spokane four times over the course of this campaign, and every time I was treated to such kindness and hospitality. Special shoutout to Jon Snyder and his wife Heidi for hosting three of my visits at their home.
Along with getting to know our incredible partners, it was truly a pleasure to get to know the City of Spokane and why transit is important to the people who make it run. I heard stories from people who rely on transit on account of a disability, who have used it when their car broke down, whose kids ride the bus to school, or who take it to get to work and the symphony. Their reasons for using transit truly truly ran the gamut, and their stories powered our efforts.
More Fight Than We’d Bargained For
The other force that powered our efforts was the second largest opposition campaign to a transit ballot measure in Washington State history (and largest ever in a primary). Funded by two multi-millionaires and a bank, the opposition raised almost $300,000 to pay for mailers, text blasts, tv ads, and paid canvassers flown in from Texas to try and defund the buses. Why? Because they thought if they could do away with this sales tax, they could go to voters with another ballot measure to fund a public safety measure that would build a new jail. Is it disingenuous to tell voters you are cutting taxes so that you can raise them again? Yes. Would reducing affordable transportation options for folks needing to get to work, school, and services negatively impact public safety? Almost certainly. Do the “citizens for responsible transit” know what the inside of a bus looks like? Not according to the AI image on their website.
As the Fires Spread, STA Was There
STA operators help evacuate people during the Old Trails fire. Photo courtesy of STA.
As election day neared, the most destructive wildfire in Washington State history spread through Spokane County, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate and burning close to a thousand homes and other buildings. We were out doorknocking in Spokane when the fires started, and it was scary how quickly they tore through the community. Our hearts go out to those who have been impacted.
We also want to give a huge thank you to STA for being instrumental in the evacuation efforts. STA operators drove toward the fires to help evacuate seniors, people with disabilities, and people at the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center. They demonstrated that STA is not just a transit agency but an emergency response agency as well.
The fires certainly changed the final days of our campaign. Many of our partners were helping to put out literal and figurative fires, were hosting evacuees, or had been evacuated themselves. Given that, our executive director, Kirk, and I thought the best thing we could do to help was to continue to (respectfully) get the word out about STA Proposition 1. I’m glad we could support the community in our own way while so many were managing this unprecedented catastrophe.
What’s Next in Spokane and Across the State
This campaign had it all and we are proud that it ended in a win. But just because the campaign in Spokane is over does not mean our work there is finished. For starters, if you are able to give to the folks in need in Spokane, please consider donating here.
But what I am getting at is that when we say we are a statewide organization, we don’t just mean western Washington. We are here to show up for our partners across the state when they need us. Fires, multi-millionaires, and hot days out in the sun won’t stop us.
We are also so much more effective as advocates implementing policies statewide when our coalition is reflective of the entire state. It has truly been a privilege to show up for the wonderful folks of Spokane, and I am thankful for all of the wonderful people I met and for folks I didn’t but who voted to continue funding transit in Spokane.
Up next, we’ve got our work cut out for us in Seattle and Pierce County, as two measures to expand transit head to the ballot this November! We could use your help. Sign up to volunteer in Seattle or join our efforts in Pierce County.
Holden Minor Ringer
Advocacy Manager
Transportation Choices Coalition
