Rhode Island Higher Education Bonds, Question 4 (2016)
| Rhode Island Question 4 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 8, 2016 | |
| Topic Bond issues | |
| Status | |
| Type Bond issue | Origin State Legislature |
| 2016 measures |
|---|
 |
| November 8 |
| Question 1 |
| Question 2 |
| Question 3 |
| Question 4 |
| Question 5 |
| Question 6 |
| Question 7 |
| Polls |
| Voter guides |
| Campaign finance |
| Signature costs |
Rhode Island Higher Education Bonds, Question 4, was on the November 8, 2016, ballot in Rhode Island as a legislatively referred bond question. It was approved.
| A "yes" vote supported issuing $45,500,000 in general obligation bonds to invest in higher education related projects. |
| A "no" vote opposed issuing $45,500,000 in general obligation bonds to invest in higher education related projects. |
Election results
| Question 4 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| 248,708 | 59.48% | |||
| No | 169,408 | 40.52% | ||
- Election results from Rhode Island Board of Elections
Overview
Allocation
Question 4 authorized the state to issue $45,500,000 in general obligation bonds and allocate that amount in the following way:[1]
| Question 4 Allocation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Project | Amount | Item |
| University of Rhode Island College of Engineering | $25,500,000 | For renovating Bliss Hall, one of University of Rhode Island College of Engineering's oldest buildings, and comprehensively updating other existing buildings |
| University of Rhode Island Affiliated Innovation Campus Program | $20,000,000 | For building at least one innovation campus involving business collaborations with the University of Rhode Island |
2014 measure
In 2014, voters decided on a bond issue with the same topic and designation as 2016's Question 4. The measure was approved.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title was as follows:
| “ |
4. Leveraging Higher Education to Create 21st Century Jobs Bonds - $45,500,000[2] |
” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary was as follows:
| “ |
To make capital investments in higher education-related projects, to be allocated as follows: (a) University of Rhode Island College of Engineering $25,500,000 (b) University of Rhode Island Affiliated Innovation Campus Program $20,000,000[2] |
” |
Support
Friends of Question #4 led the support campaign for Question 4.[3]
Supporters
The following legislator sponsored HB 7454:[1]
- Rep. Marvin Abney (D-73)
Opposition
Opponents
The following legislators voted "nay" on HB 7454 during its final reading in the Rhode Island State Senate:[4]
- Sen. Mark Gee (R-35)
- Sen. Nicholas Kettle (R-21)
- Sen. Elaine Morgan (R-34)
Background
Previous bond questions
In 2014, Rhode Island voters decided on four bond issues: Question 4, Question 5, Question 6, and Question 7. All four measures were approved. The official designation for the 2014 measure, Question 4, was identical to 2016's Question 4, and both addressed higher education related bonds. The topics for Question 7 from 2014 and Question 6 from 2016 were also identical.
Between 1952 and 2015, more than 20 bond issues addressing higher education appeared before voters in Rhode Island. The majority of these measures related to funding, construction, or maintenance of higher education facilities, as Question 4 did.
Rhode Island voters decided on at least one bond issue during all but one even-numbered election year between 1950 and 2015. Voters were not presented with a bond issue in 1994.
Campaign finance
As of February 15, 2017, the support campaign for Question 4 featured one ballot question committee, Friends of Question 4, that received a total of $405,000.00 in contributions. The committee spent $387,594.74.[3]
No ballot question committees registered to oppose Question 4.[3]
| Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Support | $405,000.00 | $0.00 | $405,000.00 | $387,594.74 | $387,594.74 |
| Oppose | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Total | $405,000.00 | $0.00 | $405,000.00 | $387,594.74 | $387,594.74 |
Support
The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committees in support of the measure.[3]
| Committees in support of Question 4 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Committee | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions | Cash Expenditures | Total Expenditures |
| Friends of Question 4 | $405,000.00 | $0.00 | $405,000.00 | $387,594.74 | $387,594.74 |
| Total | $405,000.00 | $0.00 | $405,000.00 | $387,594.74 | $387,594.74 |
Donors
The following were the top donors to the committee.[3]
| Donor | Cash Contributions | In-Kind Contributions | Total Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| URI Foundation | $350,000.00 | $0.00 | $350,000.00 |
| URI Alumni Association | $35,000.00 | $0.00 | $35,000.00 |
| RI Building & Construction Trades Council | $10,000.00 | $0.00 | $10,000.00 |
| BuildRI | $5,000.00 | $0.00 | $5,000.00 |
| RI Associated General Contractors of America | $5,000.00 | $0.00 | $5,000.00 |
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Rhode Island Constitution
HB 7454 was introduced in the Rhode Island State Legislature on February 3, 2016. The bill was approved by the Rhode Island House of Representatives on June 15, 2016, and was approved by the Rhode Island State Senate on June 18, 2016.[4][5]
House vote
June 15, 2016
| HB 7454 House Vote | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| 69 | 100% | |||
| No | 0 | 0% | ||
Senate vote
June , 2016
| HB 7454 Senate Vote | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| 32 | 91.43% | |||
| No | 3 | 8.57% | ||
State profile
| Demographic data for Rhode Island | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 1,055,607 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 1,034 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 81.1% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 6.5% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 3.2% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.8% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 13.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 86.2% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 31.9% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $56,852 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 17.3% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Rhode Island. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
Rhode Island voted for the Democratic candidate in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
Pivot Counties (2016)
Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Rhode Island, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[6]
Pivot Counties (2020)
In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Rhode Island had one Boomerang Pivot County, 4.00 percent of all Boomerang Pivot Counties.
More Rhode Island coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Rhode Island
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- Public policy in Rhode Island
- Endorsers in Rhode Island
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- More...
Related measures
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Rhode Island Bond Question 2016. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
- Rhode Island 2016 ballot measures
- 2016 ballot measures
- Rhode Island Legislature
- List of Rhode Island ballot measures
- Rhode Island state budget and finances
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedtext - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Rhode Island Board of Elections, "ERTS," accessed November 3, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Rhode Island Legislature, "Rhode Island Senate Sequence No. 656," June 18, 2016
- ↑ Rhode Island Legislature, "Rhode Island House of Representatives Sequence No. 404," accessed September 13, 2016
- ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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