Georgia transportation tax voted down in 9 of 12 districts

{mosads}The Georgia transportation tax proposal drew national attention because of its
occurrence in a staunchly conservative state. House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) encouraged Georgia voters to
approve the ballot initiative during a fundraising trip to Atlanta earlier this
month.

Mica was attacked for supporting the proposal in his neighboring state by his
opponent in a contentious member-versus-member primary, Rep. Sandy Adams.

The proposal to raise sales taxes in Georgia to fund infrastructure
improvements split traditional alliances in both the Democratic and Republican
parties. Business groups that normally endorse GOP candidates vocally supported
the proposal, while Tea Party groups rallied against the idea of raising taxes.

Similarly, Democratic Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, a frequent surrogate for
President Obama’s reelection campaign, clashed frequently with NAACP groups in
the Atlanta area that argued that the measure did not include enough spending in
traditionally African-American areas.

The reliably Democratic metro Atlanta area had been
expected to provide a base of support for the transportation tax. However, the
measure was defeated 63-37 percent in the 10-county region that included the Georgia
capital city.

Supporters said the levy would have provided $18 billion
for road and transit projects in the state, with $6.1 billion going to the
metro Atlanta area.

— This story was first posted on July 31 at 11:31 p.m. and was last updated with new information on Aug. 1 at 7:45 a.m.