Voters Took to the Polls in Record Numbers on Tuesday. How Did They Feel About Housing?
The 2018 midterms are over. Voters across the country went to the polls to elect their representatives, but in many places voters were also given the opportunity to decide on a number of affordable housing-related ballot measures and referenda. What did they decide?
Out of the 33 initiatives tracked by NLIHC, voters said yes to 25—and 2 are still too close to call. Voters just created a new housing trust fund in Broward County, FL, increased Charlotte, NC’s housing trust fund from $15 million to $50 million, passed a $250 million housing bond in Austin, TX, and expanded protections for evicted renters in Santa Cruz, CA.
While some big proposals didn’t make it over the threshold (including a statewide initiative in California to expand local rent control options), it’s clear that Americans are on board with expanding housing opportunities in their communities.
Virginia is no exception to this trend. In a Campaign for Housing and Civic Engagement (CHACE) poll conducted by Christopher Newport University last year, Virginians overwhelmingly supported making housing an electoral priority.
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