HARDWICK – This year’s Hardwick Town Meeting was one of the best in years with an impressive turnout of 250 people. The only other time I see that many people come together in town is for a Hazen basketball game or the school’s graduation.
This town has had its share of good times and hard times. A constant in Hardwick, however, is its sense of community. People join to celebrate and support each other when the need is there, from town meetings, to basketball games, to graduations, to church suppers, and more.
Since town meeting, I’ve heard a few people say the meeting lasted too long. Democracy can be hard work. If that means we have to spend an extra hour or two debating an issue or listening to others’ opinions, that beats the alternative of someone else telling us what we have to do.
Yes, people have to be present at town meeting in order to speak or vote and that prevents some people from participating. The special town meeting May 19 to decide whether all measures should be by Australian ballot suggests more people would be involved in decision making than currently. This year, about 250 people voted at town meeting while 505 voted by Australian ballot for various candidates. That’s 10 percent of the 2025 registered voters at town meeting compared to 21 percent for all who filled out a preprinted ballot.
Hazen and Hardwick Elementary school board measures have been decided for a number of years by Australian ballot. The number of people who voted in March was 755 (co-mingled with Woodbury and Greensboro) for Hazen and 773 (co-mingled with Woodbury and Greensboro) for Mountain View Union Elementary School District.
An Australian ballot decision making process brings out more people, but is still far from all eligible voters. It is hard to say an Australian ballot is a more accurate reflection of broad feelings than a yea or nay vote at town meeting.
This brings me back to the importance of town meeting as a reflection of who we are. We don’t need more of everyone seemingly locked face down in a smart phone with the inability or refusal to look someone in the eye, or an unwillingness to listen to what others have to say, or a reticence to share one’s own opinion. We have a long history of standing up and speaking out. We lose that if we move to an Australian ballot form of decision making.
I doubt strongly there would be support to close off attendance at Hazen basketball games and graduations, instead claiming HCTV broadcasts reach more residents. My suggestion is to reject the Australian ballot proposal and double down on getting more people to attend town meeting.
Town meeting is more than voting. It is a gathering of friends and neighbors to voice ideas and opinions, to gather information, to be able to amend articles, to share in the responsibility of self-governance, and of community. Let’s make it known, loudly and clearly, we will still talk with each other, we value that, and we are not going to give that up.
