The 1% sales tax for roads lost 51.5% to 48.5% in unofficial results, and the bond question failed by 456 votes. Here is what it would have paid for.
Greenville County voters turned down a 1% sales tax for roads, transit and greenbelts in Tuesday’s election. A second question, on borrowing $150 million against the tax, failed by 456 votes.
The figures are the county’s unofficial election night final results. They stay unofficial until the county elections board certifies them.
The results
The tax question lost by 6,333 votes. The bond question was far closer.
| Question | Yes | No | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1: the 1% sales tax | 101,947 (48.5%) | 108,280 (51.5%) | Failed |
| Question 2: up to $150 million in bonds | 103,938 (49.9%) | 104,394 (50.1%) | Failed |
Those totals come from the Greenville County unofficial results page for the Nov. 3 general election. When it was checked Friday, 152 of 154 Election Day precincts and all 151 absentee and early voting precincts had reported. Countywide turnout was 62.08%.
What the tax would have paid for
The ballot question asked voters to approve a 1% tax for up to eight years, or until it raised $1.1 billion, whichever came first. The money was split three ways in the county ordinance that set up the vote:
- Roads, bridges and related drainage: up to $990 million
- Mass transit run by the county or jointly with other governments: up to $33 million
- Greenbelts: up to $77 million
The road list in the ordinance presented for County Council’s final reading July 21 included:
- local paving and resurfacing
- congestion management and intersection improvements
- drainage work tied to roads
- bike and pedestrian facilities
- rural road safety projects
The tax would have started May 1, 2027. A new Transportation Transparency Committee would have reviewed the spending, and the money would have been audited each year.
What it would have meant for Greer
The ordinance set aside a share of the road money for cities in the county. A city would have received a pro rata share of the sales tax collected inside its limits, after a 20% reduction. Cities had to spend that money on roads, drainage, transit or greenbelts and nothing else.
That share applied to cities that had not adopted their own local option tax under S.866, a law passed by the 126th General Assembly. Greer had no city tax question on the county ballot. The ordinance did not put a dollar figure on any city’s share.
The vote was Greenville County’s alone. Greer residents on the Spartanburg County side of the city did not vote on it.
Four nearby cities said yes to their own taxes
Four other cities in the county had their own tax relief questions on the ballot. All four passed, according to the same county results page:
| City | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| Greenville, about 10 miles away | 19,070 | 9,549 |
| Mauldin, about 11 miles away | 6,397 | 5,410 |
| Simpsonville | 5,189 | 5,042 |
| Travelers Rest, about 12 miles away | 1,582 | 1,203 |
What it means for you
- No new county sales tax next spring. The 1% tax will not start May 1, 2027.
- The bond margin is small. The 456-vote gap on Question 2 is unofficial. Certified results come from the Greenville County Board of Voter Registration and Elections, 864-467-7250. We will update this story when they are certified.
- Current road work in and around Greer is on our road construction and closures page.
- Your property tax bill is explained on our property taxes page. Where to find every result from Tuesday is on our voting page.
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