A proposal for a new library was included on an election ballot. A radio show stated that 3 times as many people voted in favor of the proposal as people who voted against it. A social media post reported that 15,000 more people voted in favor of the proposal than voted against it. Based on these data, how many people voted against the proposal?

Explanation

To solve the problem, let x be the number of people who voted against the proposal. According to the radio show, 3 times as many people voted in favor, which translates to 3x. The social media post states there were 15,000 more votes in favor, so 3x - x = 15,000. Simplifying gives 2x = 15,000, so x = 7,500. Thus, 7,500 people voted against the proposal. Option B is incorrect because it describes the extra number of people who voted in favor, not those who voted against. Option C is incorrect as it represents the total number of people who voted in favor. Option D is a calculation error, as no group of voters matches this number.