“Essentially, this is a way to make people tax themselves,” added Mr. Buice, who will be voting for a package of projects in the Athens area. “It’s a way for the Georgia legislature to kick the can down the road and not have to raise the gas tax, which should have been raised a long time ago.”

But taxes to improve roads, telecommunications, sewers and other services are a tough sell these days, and President Obama’s appeals to improve infrastructure are an example, said Ken Orski, editor of Innovation NewsBriefs, a transportation newsletter.

“People simply do not trust the administration’s vague promises as to how their gas tax dollars will be spent,” Mr. Orski said. But the Georgia package is different.

“They are being very specific, and by doing so, they are vastly improving the likelihood of a positive vote,” he said.

In each of the 12 voting regions, 75 percent to 85 percent of the money would go to projects on an unchangeable master list. The remaining money would be given to cities and counties to spend on any transportation needs they might have in the future.

The legislature is pushing people to vote for the tax with a kind of carrot-and-stick incentive. Regions that do not support it will have to pay a bigger share to get state-supported road projects completed and may not get them done as quickly.

In Atlanta, which has by far the largest package, polls indicate the vote will be close despite a vigorous campaign. Nearly $6 million has been spent on educational efforts, including a series of billboards along congested interstates with the slogan “Untie Atlanta.”