Diffusion and Scaling of Housing Ballot Measures

While housing ballot measures are gaining traction, they remain less common than those focused on transit and local quality-of-life improvements. In 2024, local and state voters considered 53 measures to raise or preserve local revenue for affordable housing, less than half of the estimated 120 transportation and infrastructure related measures that state and local voters considered last year. This gap suggests opportunities exist to greatly expand the use of housing
ballot measures as a tool to promote local investment in housing production.

Nationally, we need to build better intermediaries and coalitions to help support local communities in planning and launching housing ballot measures. The National Low Income Housing Coalition produces resource guides to aide local officials in designing ballot measures and annual reports cataloging the success of local and state housing-related ballot measures nationally; however, there is not currently a nationally focused organization that provides direct TA and support to cities and states in this area. As corollaries, Accelerator for America’s 501(c) (4) sister organization Accelerator for America Action provides support to localities for transit and transportation measures, and the Trust for Public Land has long provided similar support across the country for parks, trails and land conservation initiatives. These examples demonstrate the potential impact of targeted, strategic support for local ballot measures.

Discussions have begun about expansion of these kinds of efforts for the explicit purpose of providing direct support to states, counties, and cities for housing ballot measures and to serve as a resource hub for national best practices and lessons learned. These efforts can revolutionize how communities approach housing challenges, providing them with the tools, knowledge, and support needed to make meaningful local investments in affordable housing. The opportunity is substantial. Relatively modest investments to support capacity in these organizations could potentially unlock billions of dollars in local funding to support affordable housing. By fostering collaboration, building coalitions, and equipping local leaders with the tools they need, policymakers have an opportunity to expand the use of housing ballot measures as a powerful mechanism for addressing one of the nation’s most pressing challenges.