Voters in Travis County, Texas, St. Paul, Minn., and Sonoma County, Calif., considered whether to approve tax increases to help fund child care.

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Childcare was up for vote in several cities and counties across the country.

In Austin, Texas, where voters weighed whether to raise property taxes, advocates noted that a year of child care costs more than a year of tuition at the University of Texas at Austin.

In Sonoma County, California, where a new sales tax was on the ballot, a year of child care can cost more than a year at the University of California, Berkeley. And yet, the demand is high. A report found that the pandemic has decimated the county’s childcare workforce to such an extent that it is left with just over half the childcare spots it once had.

Voters in both places approved the ballot measures, while a similar measure in St. Paul, Minnesota, failed.

As government and business leaders grappled with what to do about the shortage and inaccessibility of child care, local jurisdictions sought solutions of their own. New Orleans, San Antonio, Escambia County, Fla. and Whatcom County, Wash., are some of the places that imposed similar ballot measures on voters in recent elections.

The hope is that these local initiatives will have a “trickle-down” effect, says Olivia Allen, co-founder of the Children’s Funding Project, which helps communities and states pursue public funding for children.

“Measures taken in your neighboring community can … create more demand in other parts of the state,” Allen says, pointing to Colorado voters approve a nicotine tax to fund universal pre-K, following action by several Colorado communities.

Meanwhile, in a statement on Wednesday morning, advocacy group Child Care Aware of Americaurged the incoming Trump administration and Congress to work toward broader solutions.

“The American people have resoundingly called — both before and during the election cycle — for affordable, accessible and quality child care solutions,” wrote the organization’s CEO, Susan Gale Perry.

Here’s a rundown of how this year’s local measures went:

Approved: Austin, Texas voters choose property tax

In Travis County, Texas, which includes most of Austin, voters approved a property tax increase of 2.5 cents for every $100 of property value to help increase access to child care, after school and summer programming for thousands of families.

The average homeowner in Travis County will pay an additional $126 each year, generating $75 million annually. The money could create an additional 1,900 child care spots for infants and toddlers from low-income families and 3,900 after-school and summer program spots for school-age children.

Cathy McHorse, an early childhood consultant who organized the coalition behind the initiative, says it will be transformative for the community.

“It includes not only increased access to affordable child care for families without care, but it also includes extended hours for families who work non-traditional shifts,” she says.

The Travis County Commission, which voted unanimously to place the measure on the ballot, highlighted the important role child care plays in driving economic growth and positive outcomes for children, including higher graduation rates and lower incarceration rates.

Approved: In Sonoma County, it’s a sales tax

Voters in Sonoma County, California, approved a quarter cent sales tax for every dollar spent, to generate 30 million dollars annually to be reserved for children.

Under the measure, 60 percent would go toward increasing access to early child care and preschool for low-income families, and also toward raising wages for child care workers. The other 40% will go towards improving children’s access to health care and mental health care.

“We’re asking people to take care of our children in their formative years when they themselves are living in poverty,” says Cynthia King, CEO of the Sonoma Community Action Network. “That’s not healthy for anybody.”

The measure had endorsements from business groups, a pediatrician, the local NAACP, among others. He had no formal opposition.

Rejected: St. Paul, Minnesota Says No

Meanwhile, in St. Paul, Minnesota, healthy voters REJECTED a plan for gradually raise property taxes to help pay for childcare for around half of St Paul’s children.

The city’s mayor, Melvin Carter, was staunchly opposed from the start. He warned that the referendum would not raise enough money to achieve what it had promised to do.

Carter went so far as to inform the City Council that he would not implement the plan even if voters approved it, pointing to ballot language that authorizes — but does not require — the city of St. Paul to carry out the plan.

Councilwoman Rebecca Noecker, who promoted the proposal, acknowledged on Facebook that the city’s needs would not be fully met by the program.

“But the fact that we can’t help everyone has never stopped us from helping those we can.” she wrote. “Every year we do nothing, more children fall behind and families struggle.”