First, you must have taken care to develop a quality plan. A tax measure (whether it is a bond, parcel tax, sales tax, utility tax or other proposal) requires a detailed and thoughtful plan of how money will be spent. Voters want (and deserve) specific information. The more detailed your plan, the better it will be received.

Second, since most citizens/voters may never receive the services that the additional tax revenues will provide, they nevertheless must be convinced that the tax is needed and the broader community will benefit. The more you focus on NEED the better positioned your measure will be to win. The more you allow the focus to be THE MONEY, the more at risk your measure will be.

Finally, whatever election you choose, make sure you have adequate resources (time, money and people) to be successful. Remember most tax elections fail, not because the tax was too high, but because the effort was not great enough.