LANSING, MI -- Michigan Proposal 1, a statewide ballot proposal that would have raised taxes by nearly $2 billion to fund road repairs and more, has failed.

Multiple publications called the race less than an hour after polls closed across most of Michigan at 8 p.m. Others followed suit when the polls closed in the four Upper Peninsula counties in the Central time zone.

Actual results continue to trickle in. As of 10:00 p.m., 21 of 83 counties had reported complete results to the state, with 85 percent of voters in those areas against Proposal 1.

Early results from major Michigan counties across the state appeared to be following a similar trend. In Oakland County, "no" had received 77 percent of the vote, with 510 of 516 precincts reporting.

The complex proposal, supported by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and legislative leaders, would have raised the state sales tax by one percentage point but exempted fuel, triggering 10 other laws, including a statutory increase in fuel taxes.

Snyder, speaking with reporters shortly after 8 p.m., said he was still hoping for a successful election night, but he released a statement roughly one hour later acknowledging that Proposal 1 had failed.

"While voters didn't support this particular proposal, we know they want action taken to maintain and improve our roads and bridges," Snyder said. "The 'relentless' part of relentless positive action means that we start anew to find a comprehensive, long-term solution to this problem. Doing nothing isn't an option as the costs are too great."

Snyder and other infrastructure advocates have long said that at least $1.2 billion a year is needed to maintain Michigan roads, which have gone from bad to worse in recent years.

Proposal 1 would have eventually generated at least that amount for state and local road agencies, but it would have also produced another $600 million a year in new money for schools, cities, mass transit and the state's general fund.

Paul Mitchell, chairman of the Coalition Against Higher Taxes and Special Interest Deals, celebrated the election day results with Proposal 1 opponents at a gathering in Troy.

"I said repeatedly that Proposal 1 was the poster child for bad politics and bad policy," Mitchell said. "Today the people of Michigan agreed with that perspective."

Mitchell, whose group was one of three ballot committees opposing the measure, has called the proposal bloated and overly complicated. Several voters echoed those comments as they hit the polls on Tuesday.

"I really feel the proposal was too convoluted, too many pieces," said Margaret Poort of Muskegon. "If they would have put it, half a percent (sales tax increase) for roads only, I would have voted yes."

Even some who supported the measure did so begrudgingly, criticizing lawmakers for sending the sales tax proposal to the ballot rather than approving standalone legislation on their own.

"It may not be a perfect proposal, but it's better than nothing. It's a start," said Deborah Hastings of Saginaw. "I believe the Legislature showed some cowardice by dumping it in our laps."

Proposal 1 was a legislative compromise that emerged in late December after several years of debate in Lansing.

The state Senate had approved a plan focused on higher gas taxes, and the House had passed a plan that would have diverted future revenue growth for schools and cities, but neither chamber ever voted on the other's plan.

Snyder and legislative leaders announced the framework for Proposal 1 on December 18, calling it a way to ensure that all taxes paid at the pump would be used on infrastructure.

But voter approval was never a foregone conclusion for the proposal, which asked residents to raise taxes on themselves as a trade-off for the promise of better roads. Recent public opinion polls had foreshadowed Tuesday's defeat.

While many may see the results as a public mandate against tax increases of any kind for road repairs, legislative leaders have not ruled out other tax options. Senate Majority Leader Arlan Meekhof, R-West Olive, said he believes voters still expect lawmakers to solve the problem.

"Last term, I voted for a legislative solution that restructured fuel taxes and took into account the rising cost of road maintenance," he said. "Rest assured, I am ready and willing to be part of a practical and sustainable plan to adequately fund our roads."

Democratic legislative leaders, who had also supported Proposal 1, said the election results should send a "clear message" to the Republican majority as road funding talks resume in Lansing.

"I hope they will listen," House Minority Leader Tim Greimel, D-Auburn Hills, said in a conference call with reporters. "The public definitely wants the roads fixed. We hear it everyday. But what they don't want is to have to pay more than their fair share to get the job done."

MLive reporters from around the state contributed to this story. Jonathan Oosting is a Capitol reporter for MLive Media Group. Email him, find him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.