New Technology for Town Meeting Voting
Posted on: March 23, 2024 - 2:58pm
New Technology For Town Meeting-Electronic Voting
1/A=Yes
2/B=No
For the first time Boxford Town Meeting will utilize new technology for electronic voting.
Each voter will receive a ResponseCard keypad upon check-in
For each motion push the button with the number that corresponds with the vote you wish to cast- 1/A is Yes; 2/B is No.
These keypads run on radio frequency and connect to a USB receiver plugged into a computer running PowerPoint and hooked up to a projector allowing voter to see the vote as it is calculated.
Benefits:
- Ensures privacy of individual votes
- Cuts down on total time by instantaneous tallying-no more hand counts or secret ballots passing out yes/no tickets or queueing up to vote, then waiting for hand-counted results
- Quickly calculates simple majority and 2/3 majority votes
- Produces a permanent record of each warrant vote
- Twenty-one towns in Massachusetts are currently using this system: Avon, Belmont, Dedham, Dover, Dudley, Duxbury, Falmouth, Ipswich, Lenox, Lynnfield, Manchester-by-the Sea, Nahant, Newbury, Rockport, Sherborn, Stoughton, Webster Westwood, Whitman, Winchendon