Comments on: Dismal turnout at the polls, Dargan and Harragan win http://www.mysouthborough.com/2009/05/11/dismal-turnout-at-the-polls-dargan-and-harragan-win/ News and events in Southborough, MA Sat, 11 Feb 2012 03:41:54 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: susan http://www.mysouthborough.com/2009/05/11/dismal-turnout-at-the-polls-dargan-and-harragan-win/#comment-2935 susan Tue, 12 May 2009 21:12:46 +0000 http://www.mysouthborough.com/?p=5429#comment-2935 Kelly - Great info! Thanks for the history. Interesting tidbit about Assabet. Marnie - I think you're right that the bigger issue is not that the turnout was so low, but that so many of the races were uncontested. We have a definite participation problem, but I suspect our town is not alone in that. Northborough had only two contested races (one was via a write-in campaign), and turnout was a low 12%. Kelly – Great info! Thanks for the history. Interesting tidbit about Assabet.

Marnie – I think you’re right that the bigger issue is not that the turnout was so low, but that so many of the races were uncontested. We have a definite participation problem, but I suspect our town is not alone in that.

Northborough had only two contested races (one was via a write-in campaign), and turnout was a low 12%.

]]> By: Marnie Hoolahan http://www.mysouthborough.com/2009/05/11/dismal-turnout-at-the-polls-dargan-and-harragan-win/#comment-2928 Marnie Hoolahan Tue, 12 May 2009 14:08:49 +0000 http://www.mysouthborough.com/?p=5429#comment-2928 Wow! Not only was the voting turn-out an embarassment but most of the ballot was uncontested. I am not sure how to get our community involved. We see decreasing rates of attendance at the Town Meeting each year and the voting booths. I joked with the women at the polls yesterday and suggested that perhaps we could get the soccer or baseball leagues to help coordinate the politics in town since they have no problem drawing an audience from my peer group! Thanks for keeping us posted Susan! Wow! Not only was the voting turn-out an embarassment but most of the ballot was uncontested. I am not sure how to get our community involved.

We see decreasing rates of attendance at the Town Meeting each year and the voting booths. I joked with the women at the polls yesterday and suggested that perhaps we could get the soccer or baseball leagues to help coordinate the politics in town since they have no problem drawing an audience from my peer group! Thanks for keeping us posted Susan!

]]> By: Kelly Roney http://www.mysouthborough.com/2009/05/11/dismal-turnout-at-the-polls-dargan-and-harragan-win/#comment-2918 Kelly Roney Tue, 12 May 2009 03:49:34 +0000 http://www.mysouthborough.com/?p=5429#comment-2918 Southborough and Northborough used to elect 5 members each to the Regional School Committee, but sometime around 20 years ago the Supreme Court ruled that that arrangement violated one person one vote (sort of like the U.S. Senate!). That's true enough; under the old arrangement, a single Northborough voter had less representation than a Southborough voter simply because there were more Northborough voters spread among the 5 members. If I recall correctly, there were two possible remedies: - proportional membership - at large voting in the entire district Southborough wasn't keen to be a permanent minority on the board, so district-wide voting was the solution. From talking with Jim Denman and Bill Boland at the polls, apparently Assabet's Regional Committee has been in violation the whole time but is about to comply by the same means, which means we may be voting soon on candidates from all the towns in that large district (and, oh yeah, Marlborough, too, and it's legally a city). Southborough and Northborough used to elect 5 members each to the Regional School Committee, but sometime around 20 years ago the Supreme Court ruled that that arrangement violated one person one vote (sort of like the U.S. Senate!). That’s true enough; under the old arrangement, a single Northborough voter had less representation than a Southborough voter simply because there were more Northborough voters spread among the 5 members.

If I recall correctly, there were two possible remedies:
- proportional membership
- at large voting in the entire district

Southborough wasn’t keen to be a permanent minority on the board, so district-wide voting was the solution.

From talking with Jim Denman and Bill Boland at the polls, apparently Assabet’s Regional Committee has been in violation the whole time but is about to comply by the same means, which means we may be voting soon on candidates from all the towns in that large district (and, oh yeah, Marlborough, too, and it’s legally a city).

]]>