Poll: Majority of metro voters now against TSPLOST

ATLANTA — A poll conducted less than three weeks before the Georgia statewide primary shows support for a transportation referendum continued to slip.

The Rosetta Stone poll conducted for Channel 2 Action News indicated the lowest support yet for the TSPLOST, despite intensive advertising campaigns by proponents.

The poll, conducted July 11, found only 33 percent of metro Atlantans support the referendum while 56 percent oppose the measure. Twelve percent remain undecided.

Voters in 10 metro counties are being asked to approve a 1-cent sales tax that would collect more than $6 billion over the next 10 years for transportation and transit projects. Local governments would get an additional $1 billion for traffic improvements. Other regions across Georgia will vote on the same issue on July 31.

 The latest poll, based on 1,050 registered voters, showed the TSPLOST is losing support inside Fulton and DeKalb counties for the first time.

A majority of black voters no longer support the measure for the first time. Pollster John Garst said opposition from state Sen. Vincent Fort and other community leaders has hurt the TSPLOST in more urban areas. Opposition has grown among Republicans since the last poll on June 29, while support among Democrats has almost dropped below 50 percent as well.

Outside the perimeter, 64 percent are opposed to the tax and just 28 percent supporting the plan.
Opposition to the TSPLOST also rose among women, younger voters and Democrats, according to the poll.

Garst told Channel 2 political reporter Lori Geary that it appeared undecided voters were starting to line up against the transportation tax.

The poll has a margin of error of 3.1 percent.

WSBTV