A bridge in Michigan. Google Streetview Michigan voters on Tuesday rejected a ballot proposal to hike the state sales tax to pay for fixing the state's crumbling roads and bridges.

The final vote reported by the Michigan secretary of state's office was 80% opposed and 20% in favor. Polls taken ahead of the vote had indicated the measure was headed for defeat.

The complex $1.9 billion measure included proposals to amend the state constitution to increase the state sales tax to 7% from 6%, raise motor-vehicle fuel taxes and peg them to inflation, send more money to schools, and enhance an earned-income tax credit that benefits lower-income residents.

Michigan's Republican Gov. Rick Snyder campaigned for the plan, saying it would raise an additional $1.3 billion to fix the state's highways and bridges, many of them in poor condition after years of harsh weather, heavy truck traffic, and funding cuts. The plague of potholes in the state that is home to the auto giants General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. has become a searing political headache for Michigan elected officials.

Opponents of the proposal criticized the ballot measure as an unnecessary tax increase for residents still recovering from the latest recession. The measure's complexity became a target for its opponents, who said over 30% of the money from the so-called road package would go to purposes other than roads.

(Reporting By Joe White; Editing by Christian Plumb)