Just Vote Yes
Pay close attention to your ballot on Election Day. Not only will you be voting for elected officials, you will have the opportunity to vote YES on two important questions. Question 1 is about creating a transportation funding lockbox to improve our infrastructure and help curb global warming, and Question 2 adds protections for state parks and open spaces.
Question 1: Transportation Lockbox
Voting YES on Question 1 will prohibit lawmakers from using the Special Transportation Fund (STF) for anything other than transportation purposes.
Starting in 2005, over $250 million has been transferred out of the Special Transportation Fund back to the General Fund.
That funding is critically important to repair our roads and bridges and to expand bus and rail service:
- Connecticut residents are paying more than ever to repair damage to their cars from potholes.
- More than 300 bridges in Connecticut are structurally deficient.
- Car and truck exhaust contributes to high rates of asthma in our cities.
- Transportation is responsible for 40% of Connecticut’s greenhouse gas emissions.
- Lack of transportation is one of the top barriers to employment.
Investing in transportation infrastructure will create good jobs in construction and attract business, reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, lower gas emissions, and build a modern transportation system to attract and retain businesses. Every dollar invested in transportation infrastructure returns $3.54 in economic impact.
Roads, bridges, trains are for everyone, just vote yes on Question 1!
Click here for a Facebook post you can share.
[Note: You already pay into the transportation fund which is funded by: the motor fuels tax, motor carrier road tax, petroleum products gross earnings tax, certain motor vehicle receipts and fees, motor vehicle related fines, and a portion of the state sales tax. Read the Hartford Courant breakdown about the lockbox question here.]
What does Question 1 say?
“Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to ensure (1) that all moneys contained in the Special Transportation Fund be used solely for transportation purposes, including the payment of debts of the state incurred for transportation purposes, and (2) that sources of funds deposited in the Special Transportation Fund be deposited in said fund so long as such sources are authorized by statute to be collected or received by the state?”
Question 2: Lands Protection Amendment
Voting YES on Question 2 will add critical protections for Connecticut’s parks and open spaces.
Over the past two decades, important state land has been under threat of being transferred, swapped, and even given away.
Our parks and forests are vital natural resources for our environment and economy:
- Our parks provide relaxation, recreation, and outdoor learning experiences for all residents.
- Our forests filter pollution from our drinking water, provide habitat for wildlife, and help control erosion.
- Our state parks are one of the best investments Connecticut has made. Every year they attract eight million visitors, generate over $1 billion in revenue, and support over 9,000 jobs.
Earlier this year, over 500 of you submitted legislative testimony to stop a proposal to sell our first coastal park in a generation, Seaside State Park, to a developer. Now is your chance to stop this flawed process for good.
Public lands are owned by you, just vote yes on question 2!
Click here for a Facebook post to share.
[Read the Hartford Courant Editorial on the lands amendment here.]
What does Question 2 say?
“Shall the Constitution of the State be amended to require (1) a public hearing and the enact-ment of legislation limited in subject matter to the transfer, sale or disposition of state-owned or state-controlled real property or interests in real property in order for the General Assembly to require a state agency to sell, transfer or dispose of any real property or interest in real property that is under the custody or control of the agency, and (2) if such property is under the custody or control of the Department of Agriculture or the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, that such enactment of legislation be passed by a two-thirds vote of the total membership of each house of the General Assembly?”
Want to do more? Help Advocate for the Ballot Questions at the Polls.
You can help make sure your neighbors know about these important questions! See below for links to signs you can print at home to use at your local polling location. You can also make your own sign on a piece of cardboard or poster board!
Connecticut has a few rules about standing at the polls.
- You must stand at least 75’ away from the entrance of the polling location with any signs. There will be signage at the polls to tell you where that is.
- You cannot take any material inside the polls with you.
Click here for a black and white sign you can print at home about Question 1.
Click here for a black and white sign you can print at home about Question 2.
