On Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026, Pierce Transit Proposition 1 secured enough votes to pass. As of vote counting on Friday, November 6th, it had garnered 57.8 percent of the votes cast, 103,924 yes to 75,804 no. Proposition 1 was previously covered here for its potential to transform how Pierce County moves.
The measure adds three cents to a ten dollar purchase. That takes Pierce Transit’s share of the local sales tax from 0.
This November 3rd Tacoma and Pierce County voters will get the chance to increase funding for local transit service. The measure known as Proposition 1, would levy an additional 3 cents on some $10 purchases, to support a 47% increase in local bus service. This would bring Pierce Transit’s share of the sales tax from 0.6% to 0.9%, helping to close the gap with other jurisdictions like Thurston and King Counties, which levy more than 1.
It was a mixed bag of news from Sound Transit last week, with an announcement that light rail to Downtown Federal Way connecting to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Downtown Seattle would open on December 6th, 2025. This is good news for transit riders and urbanists in the South Puget Sound as light rail comes closer to fully serving South King County and Pierce County.
However, as Ryan Packer at the Urbanist writes, the Sound Transit Board approved Motion M2025-36, otherwise known as the “Enterprise Initiative” which seeks to conduct a major overhaul of the voter-approved ST3 program as well as Sound Transit’s Long Range Plan, as it faces the twin constraints of inflation in construction costs and diminished projected tax revenues.
For those of us who don’t drive, riding transit isn’t just about getting from point A to point B, it’s a lifeline to independence. Transit means the freedom to connect with our community, to pursue opportunities, and to live full lives, even without a car. But that freedom comes at a cost. It means sometimes carefully timing a sprint across a busy street to catch a bus that runs only once an hour, bracing against the wind and rain without a bus shelter, or feeling the weight of groceries digging into your hands as you walk a mile home.
