Taking transit to the November ballot

The successful signature gathering campaigns for Connect Bay Area’s five-county regional measure and SFMTA’s Stronger MUNI for All show there is popular enthusiasm and support for public transit in the Bay Area. These efforts, along with the passage of the SMART measure by voters in the North Bay, provide much-needed optimism for the prospects of winning greater public transit funding on the November ballot.

Unprecedented volunteer efforts helped drive signature gathering for both campaigns. Connect Bay Area submitted over 300,000 signatures – far surpassing the 186,000 required to qualify for the November ballot – thanks to more than 1,000 volunteers. In San Francisco, the campaign gathered 18,469 signatures, well above the 10,000 needed.

This robust organizing energy provides a roadmap for winning this fall.

Both campaigns mobilized transit riders and were supported by the organizing efforts of Bay Area transit advocacy groups who initiated the campaign for a regional measure in 2018 and have helped pass multiple MUNI measures. This success is also the result of a strong labor-community partnership with Bay Area unions who advocated for the passage of enabling legislation, provided funds for the signature gathering, and engaged their members in the campaign.

Transit riders and transit workers fighting together is a winning formula.   

Creating the public transit system voters say they want, and that transit riders have said for decades that they need, will require expanding service, ensuring safety, and prioritizing affordability. That means more funding is needed, as well as more leadership from our elected officials.

The first phase of an in-depth analysis found that BART, MUNI, Caltrain, and AC Transit had saved over $1 billion between July 2019 and June 2025 through efficiencies and revenue-enhancing measures. But we can’t cut our way to a world class public transit system – we have to finally fund the system we need and want.

Winning at the ballot this November is the next step.