Open town meetings are in full swing this time of year. For many, traditional voting methods can be problematic and painfully time-consuming. With advances in electronic voting technology, many towns are making the switch to a new approach. Plymouth, Westborough, Natick, and many other towns in New England have turned to OTI to help improve their voting process. Here are some of the benefits:
Privacy and accuracy
Standing votes are an issue for many attendees because they are not private. The also introduce errors when people are unable to stand, get tired, or sit before being counted, and the number of people standing may be miscalculated. Similar challenges occur with votes cast by a show of hands.
This type of voting eliminates privacy. It can reduce participation because voters who are afraid of conflict or reprisal from other attendees. Local merchants sometimes choose not to attend open town meetings because they don’t want to risk losing customers because of their voting decisions.
VOICE VOTES
Voice voting, stating “aye” or “no” for the Moderator to hear can be problematic. Some people speak louder or softer. Some may resort to yelling which prevents all of the votes from being judged equally. Voices may also trail off before they reach the Moderator; this gives those in closer rows more chance of influencing the outcome.
PAPER BALLOTS
Paper ballots seem great as they provide the privacy so many desire; however, they are the most time consuming method. Votes have to be written, collected, tallied, possibly recalculated, and shared. There is the potential for errors in tabulation. Ballot take up valuable time that may be spent deliberating on other critical issues.
ELECTRONIC VOTING AT WESTBOROUGH
The Town of Westborough tested electronic voting was at their annual town meeting in October 2013. Town Moderator Joe Harrington stated that the electronic keypads are “simpler than your TV remote.” This “test drives” at an actual meeting gave town voters a chance to decide whether or not they favored a permanent switch to electronic voting.
Previously, town meeting attendees cast votes by voice or a show of hands tabulated by tellers. The town realized that this is sometimes inaccurate and on close votes it required considerable tabulation time. The method did not provide privacy for the voter causing some individuals to avoid participation.
The electronic voting system consists of wireless keypads that have an associated ID number to protect the user’s identity. Westborough hoped that electronic voting would increase the number of voters attending town meetings by guaranteeing each person’s anonymity.
In May 2014, Westborough held their second meeting with voting support from Option Technologies. They decided to adopt the electronic voting process, becoming the second town of Massachusetts to do so. When the new fiscal year started in July, the town moved forward using the electronic voting process at all of their open town meetings.
See an example of how it works in this PSA video from the town of Eastham, Massachusetts.
Here are four key reasons to switch open town meetings to electronic voting:
1. Privacy: Each keypad has a unique ID that allows for each citizen to cast their vote independently and anonymously, which encourages people to vote their honest opinions.
2. More Time for Important Matters: Traditional voting methods entail a great amount of time spent tabulating votes. With the use of voting keypads, Moderators save time by eliminating tedious counting procedures. Each vote is simply recorded electronically and the tally is displayed immediately when the voting period closes.
3. Improved Security: Electronic voting reduces the risk of individuals being counted more than once or unauthorized persons casting a vote. The check-in system makes certain that only registered voters are issued an active device and can vote during deliberations on the warrant.
4. Accuracy: Electronic keypads eliminate the chance for error by decreasing the uncertainty of voice votes or extended counting periods with raised hands or standing.
