Prop. 1 on your ballot: what Seattle's transit sales tax would do, and how the Council sent it to you

Seattle voters are deciding Proposition 1, the 2026 Seattle Transit Measure, in the Nov. 3 election. It would raise the city's sales tax for transit from 0.15 percent to 0.3 percent for 10 years, bringing in about $138 million a year, KNKX reported on Oct. 21. The current measure, approved in 2020, expires in April 2027, according to the Council's transit measure page.

If you ride the bus, the measure decides how often many routes run at night, midday and on weekends. If you shop in Seattle, it adds 0.15 cents to every dollar of taxable purchases compared with today.

What it would pay for

According to KNKX, most of the money would buy about 100,000 more bus trips a year from King County Metro, focused on late-night, midday and weekend service. It would also fund streetcar service, double the number of free ORCA cards for low-income riders, and pay for infrastructure and planning work for future light rail stations at Graham Street, in West Seattle and in Ballard.

The Council's July announcement says the measure would expand bus service from about 180,000 to 280,000 trips a year, extend subsidized transit passes to 12,000 more residents, carry out recommendations of a regional transit safety task force, and fund accessibility projects and electric transit service in the Duwamish Valley and South Seattle.

Supporters and critics

Mayor Katie Wilson and King County Executive Girmay Zahilay have endorsed the measure, KNKX reported. The Transportation Choices Coalition backs it. The Washington Policy Center argues that Metro's ridership does not justify the tax and that the money would be better spent on streets. KNKX also reported that Councilmember Maritza Rivera (District 4) raised concerns about the regressive nature of sales taxes when she voted to put the measure on the ballot.

What our records add: the Council's path to the ballot

City Clerk records for the ordinance, CB 121226 (Legistar), now Ordinance 127474, show:

• May 27: the mayor sent the legislation to the Council. The Council had a briefing on the mayor's proposal (Inf 2902) and a consultation with the Seattle Transit Advisory Board (Inf 2903).
• June 18 and July 6: the Select Committee on the Seattle Transportation Benefit District discussed it.
• July 16: that committee, which includes all nine councilmembers, approved the amended bill 9-0 (meeting).
• July 21: the full Council passed it 9-0 (meeting). Every member voted yes: Rob Saka (District 1), Eddie Lin (District 2), Joy Hollingsworth (District 3), Rivera, Debora Juarez (District 5), Dan Strauss (District 6), Robert Kettle (District 7), Alexis Mercedes Rinck (Position 8) and Dionne Foster (Position 9).
• July 30: Mayor Wilson signed it.

Saka, who chairs the Transportation, Waterfront, and Seattle Center Committee, sponsored the measure. He said in July that it "reflects what can happen when we work together to deliver practical solutions for Seattle residents."

How it fits with other transportation money

This measure is separate from the $1.55 billion property-tax transportation levy voters approved in 2024, which pays for street paving, sidewalks and bridges. Prop. 1 is a sales tax focused on transit service. Councilmembers will also discuss amendments to the Seattle Department of Transportation's 2027-2028 budget on Oct. 28.

What's next

Ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 3 or placed in a drop box by 8 p.m. that day. If voters approve, the higher rate would replace the expiring tax in 2027. In the District 5 race, also on the ballot, the two candidates differ on the measure: The Urbanist reported that Julie Kang raised affordability concerns about the tax increase, while Nilu Jenks emphasized bus frequency and reliability.