Voter Reaction to Multiple-Use Drainage Projects

A survey was conducted to study the reasons why a drainage bond referendum in DeKalb County, Ga. was defeated and the political feasibility of using a multiple-use concept as a replacement. The results of the survey confirmed two important points: (1)The more directly people perceive themselves to be affected by a problem, the more likely they are to support a government program to correct that problem; and (2)a significant number of voters will not support a government program they perceive to be poorly planned even though they may support the goals of the program. Both of these points support the concept behind the multiple-use concept, which received much greater support in the survey than the single-purpose concept that was defeated. A summary of survey results is presented to document discussions and conclusions.