GREENSBORO – In 2024, voter turnout at the Greensboro Town Meeting was 17%. According to the Vermont Secretary of State’s information page on town meeting and local elections, this is in the bottom third of voter turnout across all Vermont towns.
photo by Liz Steel
With 2025 Town Meeting Day only two weeks away, the Greensboro Communications Working Group has been focused on raising awareness and understanding of articles included in this year’s warning. The goal is to encourage more community members to attend town meeting and participate in discussions and decisions about town government.
On Saturday, Feb. 15, Beth Meachem, Dede Stabler and Liz Steel, set up at recycling in the pop-up Greensboro Free Cafe with Davis Barnett. Residents were offered hot drinks, a sweet treat and information on three articles in the town meeting warning: Articles 8 and 9, which propose changes to future Town Meetings; and Article 11, authorizing a vote by Australian ballot on the sale of town hall.
“Australian ballot” is a name given to the voting system in Vermont that allows all individuals to participate in an election by filling out a ballot ahead of time, and submitting it either before, or on, election day.
Article 8, gives community members the opportunity to change the day and time of town meeting in future years. A number of Vermont towns have already made the switch from the first Tuesday in March, the traditional Town Meeting Day, to one of the three days preceding the first Tuesday, as permitted by state law. Saturday and Sunday are popular alternatives, allowing a greater number of community members who are working on Tuesdays to attend.
Community members were informed of the Greensboro Town Meeting Changes Survey to select the day and time they would prefer to have town meeting, ensuring that future town meetings are held on the day that works best for the majority of residents. Printed copies of the survey are also available at the town hall and the Greensboro Free Library until February 22, the deadline for submission.
Article 9 proposes that elected officials be voted in by Australian ballot in future years, rather than by a floor vote at town meeting. For disabled residents or those with medical conditions, residents who need to travel for work or family reasons, residents in the military or providing emergency services, or residents with a personal conflict or transportation issues that prevent them from attending town meeting, Australian ballot allows them to vote for their elected officials. Australian ballot does not replace town meeting, it complements town meeting, by allowing more registered voters to participate.
Article 11 addresses the sale of town hall, which has been hotly debated over the past year. By proposing that this decision be voted on by Australian ballot, all members of the community will be able to participate, rather than just those who are able to attend town meeting.
For residents who were not able to stop by the pop-up café at recycling on Saturday, members of the Communications Working Group will be at the select board pre-town meeting, to be held in the Lakeview Union Elementary School gym on Wednesday, Feb. 19.
Members of the Greensboro Communications Working Group include Beth Meachem, Elissa Mackin, Julie Porrazzo, Jennifer Ranz, Dede Stabler and Liz Steel.
