New Technology for Town Meeting Voting

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