Many cite misunderstanding as reason for voting against libraries

Spencer Abrams was confused. Standing outside St. Therese Church in Louisville Tuesday afternoon, the 67-year-old explained that he'd just voted "yes" and "no" to the controversial library tax that was on the Louisville ballot in Tuesday's election.

"There was more than one question on there," Abrams said. "So I thought I agreed with the first one, but maybe not the second or third."

It was one among a number of problems Louisville voters had with the library initiative. A Spotted Bass investigation has found that almost half of the two-thirds of voters who decided not to fund a system-wide expansion of the city's libraries did so because they failed to understand the question on the ballot. The question — actually three different ones — made no mention of an increase in the occupational tax, although that's what it would have done to pay for a mulitimillion-dollar upgrade.

The fact that so many failed to read the ballot right may have led to its defeat.

"That's just a load of legal mumbo jumble," said Victoria Huckenberg, who voted against the tax and said she prefers Amazon.com for the occasional romance novel. "There's no need for more money into these libraries. They're fine."

It's unclear now whether the Metro Council will be able to summon enough money to fund the expansion.