New poll shows Houston voters support more transit funding (67% to 24%)

Refutes anti-rail group poll

Jay Blazek Crossley, Aug 01, 12.

Overwhelmingly - at 67% to 24% - likely voters would support the compromise proposal to return a portion of future funds from “general mobility” to transit put forward by Metro Board Chair Gilbert Garcia, according to a new poll from a pro-transit group, as posted at Off the Kuff.

Keep Houston Moving Forward PAC, a group set up to support whatever referendum the Metro Board sends to the voters on Friday, released the poll, which directly refutes a poll released by Houstonians for Responsible Growth, a group working to oppose rail transit for “developers,” according to the Houston Chronicle.

The pro-transit poll seems to agree more with the Rice University 2012 Kinder Houston Area Survey which found that a majority of Houstonians favor dedicating all transit sales taxes to transit. The Houston Area Survey found that a solid majority (55% to 40%) of Harris County residents - when asked whether they want to “continue to use 25 percent of the funds from Metro for street improvements and other nontransit projects, or should all Metro funds be dedicated to transit improvements?” - would prefer dedicating all transit taxes to transit.

From the poll released by Goodwin Simon Strategic Research for Keep Houston Moving Forward PAC:

A telephone survey of 600 likely November voters conducted in the Metro service area between July 17 and July 22 shows strong support for a proposed ballot measure for the fall ballot. The measure would ensure continued payments by Metro to local cities, and would fix payments at the 2014 level.

More than two of three (67%) percent said they would definitely or probably vote for this measure, or are leaning towards voting for it. Only 24% would vote against it or are leaning against it. That’s nearly a three to one ratio in favor of the measure, with solid majorities across partisan, racial/ethnic, and age divides.