Transit Manipulation by the Koch Brothers Under the Lens of the 2018 Nashville Transit Improvement Program Referendum: Analyzing the Division of Power, Societal Benefits, Voter and Rider Composition, Language and Cost of Improvement
Date
April 2021
Location
Online
Description
In Nashville, Tennessee, the Koch Brothers (Charles and David Koch) manipulated division of power in the United States government, change in leadership, societal benefits, voter and rider composition, referendum language and cost of the improvement to turn initially positive voter feedback into a roadblock for the 2018 Nashville Transit Improvement Program Referendum (Referendum). The purpose of this research is to investigate how conservative individuals and political advocacy groups utilize funding to influence support and passage of the Referendum and consequential self-serving benefits. The method of this research is a narrative review, focused on comparing past transportation referendums and ideologies to explain the Referendum’s failure. Understanding the failure of the Referendum was a result of Nashville’s societal and economic conditions that were exploited by conservative political groups, such as Americans for Prosperity, one can apply such knowledge to future transportation referendums and mirror or counteract the Koch Brothers’ actions to prompt successful passage.
Presentation Type
Presentation
Transit Manipulation by the Koch Brothers Under the Lens of the 2018 Nashville Transit Improvement Program Referendum: Analyzing the Division of Power, Societal Benefits, Voter and Rider Composition, Language and Cost of Improvement
Online
In Nashville, Tennessee, the Koch Brothers (Charles and David Koch) manipulated division of power in the United States government, change in leadership, societal benefits, voter and rider composition, referendum language and cost of the improvement to turn initially positive voter feedback into a roadblock for the 2018 Nashville Transit Improvement Program Referendum (Referendum). The purpose of this research is to investigate how conservative individuals and political advocacy groups utilize funding to influence support and passage of the Referendum and consequential self-serving benefits. The method of this research is a narrative review, focused on comparing past transportation referendums and ideologies to explain the Referendum’s failure. Understanding the failure of the Referendum was a result of Nashville’s societal and economic conditions that were exploited by conservative political groups, such as Americans for Prosperity, one can apply such knowledge to future transportation referendums and mirror or counteract the Koch Brothers’ actions to prompt successful passage.