Between 1983 and 1984, tax referenda for Sauk Valley College (SVC) were on the ballot three times. Research conducted before and after the tax referendum failed to pass in November 1983 provided the basis for strategy enhancement that brought SVC closer to its goal in March 1984 and finally to the achievement of the goal in November. In October 1983, a telephone survey of 502 district residents was conducted to determine public perceptions of the scope and quality of SVC programs; the extent of public involvement with SVC; the prospective market for SVC; and the primary information sources used by the public concerning SVC. Several of the conclusions of the pre-referendum study had a direct bearing on the electoral process, e.g., while those who were well-informed about the college and interested in it were also very involved with SVC, 71% of the respondents were neither well-informed about nor interested in SVC, were soft in their support of the college, and could be expected to filter out most messages about the college. After the election, the survey respondents were contacted to find out about their voting behavior, revealing a correlation between voting behavior, various demographic measures, the attentiveness model, and the index of involvement used in the study. Findings from the follow-up study were useful in developing the March 1984 and November 1984 campaign strategies, such as mobilizing the informed/interested public; building the campaign around the groups most involved with the college (i.e., staff, alumni, students, and friends of SVC); and emphasizing community leadership and involvement in the campaign. (AYC)