Santa Clara County Measure RTM: Connect Bay Area Transit Initiative Half-Cent Sales Tax
Santa Clara County, California
My vote power
High
Election date
November 3, 2026
Santa Clara County Measure RTM: Connect Bay Area Transit Initiative Half-Cent Sales Tax is a ballot measure in Santa Clara County, California on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Adds a half-cent sales tax in Santa Clara County for 14 years, part of a five-county Bay Area measure raising about $980 million a year to keep BART, Caltrain, VTA, and other transit running, plus some road repairs. Shoppers pay about 50 cents more per $100 spent, with audits and public oversight.
How do we calculate my vote power?
What determines the vote power rating for ballot measures: Representation: how much weight one vote carries here compared with a statewide vote — the smaller the district, the more each vote counts. You have more power in ballot measures because you vote directly on the policy.
Representation: Above average · 63 out of 100
This district is a good deal smaller than its state, so each vote here carries more weight than a vote in a statewide race. About 1,902,047 people live here.
Show the representation math
score = 50 + 50 × ln(state population ÷ this district's) ÷ ln(50,000) = 50 + 50 × ln(39,287,377 ÷ 1,902,047) ÷ ln(50,000) = 63.99, measured against a statewide vote in CA (grades: 66+ high, 55+ above average, 33+ average, otherwise low; a statewide race is the 50 baseline)
Above average representation + a direct vote on the policy → My vote power: High.
What does this measure do?
Adds a half-cent sales tax in Santa Clara County for 14 years, part of a five-county Bay Area measure raising about $980 million a year to keep BART, Caltrain, VTA, and other transit running, plus some road repairs. Shoppers pay about 50 cents more per $100 spent, with audits and public oversight.
A YES vote means
Sales tax rises by half a cent in Santa Clara County, and the money funds transit service, safety, and cleanliness plus targeted road repairs for 14 years.
A NO vote means
No new sales tax, and transit agencies face the service cuts they say the funding gap would force.
Sources: vote.santaclaracounty.gov · growsf.org · localnewsmatters.org
Sources: growsf.org · localnewsmatters.org
Last updated September 24, 2026.