Case Study: A Referendum on Persistence
Nashville, TN
Issue 1 - November 5, 2025
Six years after a failed attempt that made national headlines, Nashville voters passed Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s Choose How You Move initiative with 66% of the vote – and AFA Action was there from pre-launch to election day. AFA Action worked with Mayor O'Connell, his senior leadership, local business leaders, community stakeholders, and the local campaign team in planning and executing nearly every phase of the campaign.
The Nashville referendum proposed a ½ cent sales tax to fund a comprehensive transportation plan totaling more than $3 billion over 30 years. AFA Action’s analytics and polling expertise were instrumental in designing the research program that helped the campaign understand and persuade the electorate online, on TV, and on the ground. The Nashville campaign exemplified all three fundamentals that AFA Action believes are critical: strong elected leadership, strong business leadership, and a well-funded and well-run campaign.
Choose How You Move Delivers:
2x more frequent bus service and expanded transit hours of operations
285 bus stop enhancements and 12 new Transit Centers
86 miles of new sidewalk
Upgraded traffic signals at 592 intersections
Expanded WeGo Link, a last-mile transport service that brings riders from their doorstep to their bus stop and back, into rural areas of Davidson County
Election Results
Yes
65.5%
No
34.5%
“On Election night, one of my favorite things was the sheer breadth of the coalition you could behold that had all come out to celebrate together, and that’s a really good and healthy thing for a city to be able to do. It was a nice moment for the city to reflect on ‘Hey, we can do things that are big and important and good and popular all at the same time.’ ”
