 Four of these measures, including the rapid transit measure, was placed on the ballot again in 1970, but all four failed a second time.After the failed vote in 1970, the federal transit funding instead went to build the MARTA system in Atlanta.In 1996, voters in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties approved increases in sales taxes and vehicle excise taxes to pay for a US$3.9 billion transit package that included $1.7 billion for a 25-mile light rail system.