Edward Young asked: 1. Can someone provide the background for Lincoln’s current system of > having certain important matters voted on both in live Town Meetings (which > sometimes involve self-identification by a show of hands) and also by > written ballot in the privacy of the voting booth? >
The written ballot is a state requirement under Proposition 2 1/2. Certain approvals require BOTH a (a) town meeting vote, and (b) a ballot vote. It's the state's way of saying, "*are you really sure?*" Situations that require both a town meeting vote and a ballot vote include: - *Overrides. * Increasing the base budget by more than 2.5%. - *Debt exclusions. * One-time bonding (borrowing), typically for large projects, such as our school project. - *Capital exclusions.* One-time spending, typically for large capital items (e.g. a fire truck). Debt and capital exclusions may only be used for capital projects. For more information than you probably want to know, see: https://www.mass.gov/doc/proposition-2-12-ballot-question-requirement-and-procedure/download One "the state sets the rules and we follow them" resident's view, -andy https://payne.org/lt-disclaimer/
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