We’d like to begin with an apology for not getting the pros and cons of SB2 written in time for the February deadline of The Andover Beacon. As many can relate, life simply got in the way. Before we knew it, the February issue was in our mailboxes.
To recap what SB2 would mean for Andover:
SB2 is a ballot referendum form of voting that follows NH RSA 40:13. In short, SB2 only changes how we vote, not what is voted on.
If SB2 is adopted by those at Town Meeting this year, a public meeting similar to a Town Meeting, called the Deliberative Session, will be held, typically in early February, where attendees formulate the warrant articles to be voted upon. All voters will then have an opportunity to vote individually on each warrant article by private ballot a minimum of 30 days later, during the all-day voting as part of Town elections on the second Tuesday of March. Voters may also vote via absentee ballot.
Researching articles posted in the past as other towns considered the same vote we have before us now, the arguments for or against SB2 seem to be the same. Some of their points have been taken in whole or in part here.
● Official ballot voting at the second session under SB2 allows more citizens to participate in the democratic process. Voting can happen before and after going to work or any time throughout the day, as well as via absentee ballot. This is in contrast to voting at the traditional Town Meeting, where residents must attend a meeting that begins at 7 PM and can/has run well past midnight.
● The time between the Deliberative Session and Voting Day allows citizens plenty of time to think about the issues on the ballot. Under the Town Meeting format, voters must make an immediate decision without thinking about the consequences of the vote.
● Final voting action under SB2 is so far removed in time from the debate and discussion that took place at the Deliberative Session that people can lose track of what was discussed at the first meeting. Most voters do not attend the Deliberative Session at all. The result can be legions of confused and uninformed voters.
● The voting under SB2 takes place in the privacy of the voting booth without the pressure of neighbors, friends, family, and fellow citizens watching you vote and noting the position you take on any/all issues.
● A traditional Town Meeting can and has been a time of hotly contested viewpoints. Decorum and polite debate have been tossed out the window as insults and unsubstantiated accusations are flung about.
● The traditional Town Meeting approves the Town budget and warrant articles at a long Town Meeting where, typically, only a couple hundred votes are cast and there is the potential for special-interest groups to push their own agendas and to take control of ballot and budget issues.
● Because the votes at the Deliberative Session are not final, many people don’t consider attendance to be important. Data from towns that have adopted SB2 show a marked reduction in meeting attendance. In many cases, the smaller number of attendees means the quality of the debate is poor and those present tend to go along with the recommendations of the governing body, or of special-interest groups.
● With SB2, towns must rely on websites, newsletters, and other media to get information out to the public prior to the voting session, but some residents do not have internet access or read papers. Attending a traditional Town Meeting is their only way to become informed.
● The purpose of the Deliberative Session is to determine the wording of the articles and the final form of ballot questions. While the wording of some warrant articles may not be amended (e.g. zoning articles), the general rule is that all other warrant articles are subject to amendment. For example, an appropriation article could be amended down from $250,000.00 to $0. The New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled in 2008 that deleting all language from a warrant article except the words “To see'” was permissible.
● If the SB2 Deliberative Session is lightly attended or only attended by those pushing a specific agenda, what’s presented to the voters on Voting Day may be far different from what the governing body had proposed. Likewise, if a traditional Town Meeting is poorly attended, what gets voted in may be far different from what the governing body presented at the Public Hearing and published in the annual Town Report.
This article is only attempting to highlight the differences between a traditional Town Meeting and the SB2 format. The Select Board is presenting the SB2 warrant article solely as a means for the citizens of Andover to decide for themselves which method of voting is best suited for our town.