Lawn sign in Huron, OH Photo credit: Brian Herzog via Flickr

Election Day 2024 held mixed results for libraries on the ballot across the country. EveryLibrary identified and tracked 79 library measures on local and statewide ballots about funding, buildings, and governance. Of those, 55 were for long-term operating revenue, 10 for building projects, seven for annual budgets, one was a defunding measure, two concerned library governance, and four were statewide issues. The pass rate for operating levies and referenda was about 80 percent, down from the 10-year average of 90 percent wins. Seven out of 10 building bonds passed. As a whole, the number of library questions on ballots was smaller than in previous presidential election years.

REFERENDA, LEVIES, MEASURES, AND BUDGET VOTES

Nationwide, 55 libraries asked voters to enact, renew, or increase their local taxes for library operations. In addition, seven New York libraries asked to renew or expand their annual budgets. (As of November 11, we have clear results to report for 60 of those operating and annual budget questions.) Nationwide, 44 tax measures for operating funds passed and nine failed. All seven annual budget questions in New York state passed. A total of 29 Ohio libraries were on the ballot for operating levies; all but six were renewals or replacements at the existing tax rate.

Notable wins include Sacramento, CA’s Measure E, which combines two parcel taxes and makes them perpetual; a new quarter-cent sales tax for operations for the Marshall Public Library, MO; the West Bloomfield Township Public Library, MI, increasing its levy; the Granville Public Library, OH, replacing and increasing its levy; and the Cabell County Public Library, WV, passing a $1.8 million new “excess levy” after failing in May. Madison, WI; Dayton, OH; and Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library, NM, were the largest systems to pass operating levies this election.

Unfortunately, several libraries failed to pass new operating funds this cycle. Voters in Jonesboro, AR, turned down a proposal to restore the city’s portion of the Craighead County Jonesboro Public Library budget to pre-rollback levels. Both the Northlake Public Library District and the Rochester Public Library District in Illinois saw voters defeat their referenda. In Ohio, the MidPointe Library District and the Southwest Public Libraries were likewise unable to increase their funding, while the attempt of the Livingston Park County Library, MT, to significantly add to its levy met with strong opposition. One good loss, however, was at the Lawrence County Library, AR, which survived an attempt to defund the library through a reduction measure.

BONDS AND BUILDINGS

Significant building project wins include a $22 million bond for the Roselle Public Library District, IL; $153 million for improvements and expansions across the Toledo–Lucas County Library District, OH; a long-awaited $195 million for earthquake retrofits at the Pasadena Central Library, CA; and $110 million to tear down and rebuild the Rose Memorial Library in Stony Point, NY. New funding will come for operations at the Cabell County Public Library, the Granville Public Library in Licking County, OH; the Olive Free Public Library, NY; the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library; and Franklin Public Library, MI, among others.

STATEWIDE QUESTIONS

States regularly run statewide ballot questions and constitutional amendments on general election days. This year, EveryLibrary tracked four that would impact public libraries or school libraries (after the state courts in Utah invalidated Amendment A, which would have been a fifth). The most significant win was in New Mexico, where the biennial GOBond for Libraries passed with 67 percent of the vote. The General Obligation (GO) Bond funds state aid for public, school, tribal, and academic libraries. Following a research report commissioned by the state library and supported by the EveryLibrary Institute, the state legislature approved a significant increase from $9 million to $19.6 million for the 2024 GOBond. The percentage of voter support continues to be very high for this funding approach.

In California, Prop 5, a measure that would have lowered the threshold for passing a municipal bond measure from 66.7 percent to 55 percent, failed with only 45 percent voting Yes. This would have made it much easier for library projects that are floated by municipalities to gain voter approval. The sentiment in California this election cycle was generally against propositions like this. In North Dakota, Measure 4, a proposal to end the collection of all local property taxes for any purposes, failed with a 64 percent No vote. This measure would have been disastrous for libraries, schools, parks, cities, counties, and towns.

TELLING THE STORIES

The impact of these local elections cannot be overstated. Nationwide, over 90 percent of public library funding comes from the zip codes the library serves. Without ongoing communications and coalition work in between election days, making the case for new or expanded funding for collections, staffing, and facilities is difficult.

As the off-cycle elections in 2025 come into focus, it will be extraordinarily important for libraries on the ballot to tell their local story of relevance and impact. Voters need to understand what the impact of a levy, referendum, millage, or parcel tax is—otherwise, it is just another tax.