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Keeping your community covered. We're committed to producing high-quality, fact-based news and information that gives you the facts in this community we call home. If our work has helped you stay informed, take action, or feel more connected to Windham County – please give now to help us reach our goal of raising $150,000 by December 31st.
Town meeting remains one of the best active forms of democracy. Yet for the past few years, some residents in Guilford have been pushing for the use of the Australian ballot system instead of town meeting.
These people argue that the Australian ballot would create better representation of all voters in the town by letting people vote on issues without having to take time away from work to attend town meeting.
However, if this were to happen, the whole town of Guilford would lose an opportunity to discuss issues and weigh the pros and cons rather than blindly checking off boxes on a form.
I strongly believe we need to keep our town meetings the way they are. The article “We Can Keep Meeting This Way” by Mark Bushnell in the March 4 Rutland Herald includes some very interesting information about the tradition behind town meetings and the historical context in which they first occurred.
