ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri voters have turned down a proposal that would have raised the state’s gas tax to help pay for road and bridge improvements.

Proposition D, voted down on Tuesday, would have increased the state’s 17-cent-per-gallon tax, which is among the lowest in the nation, by 10 cents a gallon. In addition to road and bridge repairs, the money would have helped fund the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson campaigned in support of the tax increase, saying the state’s infrastructure needs are long overdue. SaferMO.com, the group advocating for the gas tax, paid for Parson’s tour.

The Republican-led Legislature referred the measure to the ballot this year.
Missouri voters have a long history of saying no to tax increases. Since voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1996 requiring all tax increases over a certain amount to go to a statewide vote, not a single general tax increase has passed.