We weren’t surprised by yet another poor turnout at Deliberative Sessions in the area. A place were you can, lower, zero out, or increase budgets and warrant articles. High numbers and Deliberative Sessions definitely do not go hand in hand; in spite of taxes and an explanation or question on warrant articles can take place and be tweaked before going on the ballot.
Many town’s have adopted the SB2 Deliberative Session it hope of attracting more voters, and have all articles voted on by ballot. This got rid of the traditional New England town meeting, and switch to SB2.
Even though more people vote, compared to the number of registered voters, voter turnout is still very low.
Example: last year about 60 people turned out for Hampstead’s school district deliberative it was about the same in Sandown and Chester. To give that some context, Hampstead has about 7,000 registered voters, Chester, with about 6,000 voters Sandown 4,500, and in much larger towns like Derry with about 22,000 and Londonderry with about 19,000. Only 2,000 to 4,000 people show up to vote for town elections. We’ll spare you the pitiful percentages.
In some cases, surprisingly enough, they represent a better turnout than usual. Do these figures mean that all the other voters agreed with the numerous articles on the town and school warrants and are ready for the voting booth March 6, highly unlikely. Ask the question are the people who represent you doing an outstanding job or just getting it done be honest.
Regardless of what the majority of voters were doing that was more important than attending Deliberative Session, the next chance to participate in democracy is the March 13 election. You’ve got some time to study the candidates read about them in our pages and boost your knowledge of the issues that will appear on the warrant. We encourage you to study the numbers, check out candidate forums, ask questions, and verify what proponents and opponents of a particular warrant article are telling you.
This year’s election has attracted, in most cases, a choice among candidates. Make your vote an informed one. If people have made the effort to offer their time for public service, we owe them, at the very least, enough interest to pay attention to their words and if their words are platitudes, agendas and generalities, to demand answers to the tough questions.
Local politics matters and is bipartisan. We have far more of a say in town and school elections than in any other election. Send in letters letting other know how you feel and who you support. So maybe you missed your chance to participate at Deliberative Session. For your own good and the good of the community, please get out and vote on March 13.