When should we start?

As soon as your board starts wondering whether a measure makes sense. Research and community input take time, and a measure shaped in a rush to meet a filing deadline usually shows it.

How do we know if voters will support it?

That's what feasibility research is for. We combine stakeholder interviews and community input with public opinion research from our in-house, award-winning polling team, then give you our honest read, including when the answer is to wait.

Our last measure failed. Can you help?

Yes. We'll look at what happened, listen to the community about what held people back, and help you decide whether and when to try again.

Our team is remote, with roots on both coasts, and we take on measures across the country. We’ve worked with more than 250 clients in 26 states, from small towns to major metros.

What's your track record?

We’ve helped local communities raise more than $8.5 billion. On measures where we handle both the public and the private campaign, our win rate is 97.8 percent.

Who will we work with day to day?

One lead who knows your community and coordinates everything, backed by our in-house team for public opinion research, community engagement, measure development, and campaign work. Your staff won’t be passed between vendors.

Ballot measures, start to finish

From the first feasibility question to election day, for any tax, bond, or measure that needs voter approval.

Feasibility and research

Before your board votes, it should know three things: what voters think the community needs, what they’d support, and when to ask. Our in-house, award-winning polling team finds out, alongside interviews with community leaders. You get a straight answer in plain language, even when that answer is to wait. See how a feasibility study works.

Measure development

We turn the research into a measure voters can picture: the projects, the oversight, the term, and the ballot question. We build it with your staff, counsel, and financial advisors. Decades of work with public officials and county election offices keep every step on schedule, from the first board presentation to the filing deadline.

Community engagement

Once the measure is on the ballot, we produce everything the agency uses to explain it, in house: fact sheets, FAQs, mailers, web pages, presentations, and translations. We handle the press, and if a story breaks, we handle that too. Staff and board members get clear guidance on what they can and can’t say.

The campaign

When a committee forms to support the measure, we can run its campaign: the plan, message, voter targeting, fundraising, endorsements, and ballot arguments for the voter guide. Then mail, digital, advertising, yard signs, door knocking, texting, and debate prep, coordinated day to day with the committee’s treasurer.

Measure types

These are the measures we see most. If it needs voter approval, we can help with it. Vote thresholds and legal requirements differ by measure type and by state.

School facility bonds Modernization, safety, and new construction for K-12 districts and community colleges.
Parcel taxes Funding for schools, libraries, parks, or public safety, often with exemptions and a set term.
Property tax levies and overrides Operating levies, mill levy overrides, and levy lid lifts for schools and local governments.
Local sales taxes General or special purpose measures for cities and counties.
Hotel taxes Transient occupancy taxes in communities with a lot of visitors.
Utility users taxes Taxes on phone, electric, gas, water, or cable service.
Business and gross receipts taxes Business license, gross receipts, and cannabis taxes.
Real estate transfer taxes Taxes on property sales, often for housing or general services.
Transportation measures Road, transit, and traffic taxes at the city, county, or regional level.
Public safety measures Police, fire, and emergency medical services.
Parks, open space, and libraries Acquisition, maintenance, and operating funds.
Housing and homelessness Affordable housing bonds and funding for services.
Infrastructure bonds Roads, water systems, and public buildings.
Special district measures Fire, water, healthcare, park, and library districts.
Benefit assessments Property owner ballots for lighting, landscaping, flood control, and similar services.
District formation and boundary changes New districts, consolidations, and annexations that go to voters.
Renewals and extensions Continuing funding that’s about to expire.
Charter and advisory measures Governance changes and advisory questions that need careful explanation.
Citizen initiatives Measures that coalitions and committees bring to the ballot themselves.
Anything else on the ballot Any other tax, bond, or question that needs voter approval.

Common deliverables

What clients typically receive. Every engagement is scoped to the measure, so the list changes from project to project.

Feasibility report A plain-language recommendation on whether, when, and how to go to voters.
Public opinion survey Designed and analyzed by our in-house, award-winning polling team.
Stakeholder interviews Conversations with community leaders, summarized for the board.
Project list and expenditure plan What the money pays for, in terms voters can picture.
Oversight and reporting plan Oversight committees and annual reporting that show where the money goes.
Ballot question and related language Drafted with your team and reviewed by counsel.
Election calendar Every step, worked back from the filing deadline.
Board and staff presentations From the first briefing to the vote to place the measure.
Fact sheets, FAQs, and web pages Clear explanations of what the measure does and why.
Informational mailers Written, designed, and produced in house.
Community presentations For parent groups, service clubs, neighborhood groups, and business associations.
Translated materials In the languages your community speaks.
Media relations Press releases, briefings, and spokesperson preparation.
Crisis communications plan Ready before you need it.
Staff and board guidance Clear direction on what they can and can’t say.
Campaign plan and budget For the committee that forms to support the measure.

As soon as your board starts wondering whether a measure makes sense. Research and community input take time, and a measure shaped in a rush to meet a filing deadline usually shows it.
That's what feasibility research is for. We combine stakeholder interviews and community input with public opinion research from our in-house, award-winning polling team, then give you our honest read, including when the answer is to wait.
Yes. We'll look at what happened, listen to the community about what held people back, and help you decide whether and when to try again.
Our team is remote, with roots on both coasts, and we take on measures across the country. We’ve worked with more than 250 clients in 26 states, from small towns to major metros.
We’ve helped local communities raise more than $8.5 billion. On measures where we handle both the public and the private campaign, our win rate is 97.8 percent.
One lead who knows your community and coordinates everything, backed by our in-house team for public opinion research, community engagement, measure development, and campaign work. Your staff won’t be passed between vendors.

Questions agencies ask us

Tell us about your measure

Where it stands, what the board is asking, and when the election is. We'll tell you how we would approach it.

Get in touch