Sharon Update

                                                        --- News from the Source---

Perhaps it is understandable when residents contend that it is hard to attend the Town Meetings. After all, it does take several nights to complete and if you haven’t paid attention, it just might be a little confusing.

The same argument can’t be made when it comes to the Town elections. C’mon people. It takes a whole five minutes to actually connect the dots on the ballot and complete your civic duty. Granted, you have to travel all the way to the High School, park the car and check in with the election workers. So overall, it might take 30 minutes. But it can also be an opportunity to bond with your spouse, educate the kids on civic responsibility and even say hello to friends and neighbors. You get all of that and the added benefit of knowing that you’re actually contributing to the well being of your community.

This past May 17th we were all very fortunate to have several contested races, including those for the Board of Selectman, the Planning Board, Library Trustee and even for Town Moderator. All the citizens who ran for office are to be commended for stepping up and attempting to serve the rest of us. All of these positions are critical to guide the Town in various ways.

Well, for all of the races and all of the candidates, a whopping 1874 voters showed up at the polls. That amounts to only 17% of registered voters. So the question we should all ask is where were the other 9,477 voters? Voter turnout tends to be higher for presidential and gubernatorial elections, but when all is said and done, local Selectmen actually make decisions that have more immediate and direct effects on the quality of your life. Planning Board members uphold the zoning by-laws which directly impact the nature of the Town. Even Library Trustees have demonstrable effects on the quality of the service all library patrons receive. So are the elections important? You bet they are!

What will it take to get more voters to the polls? Civics lessons for everyone? Combing the voter lists and highlighting those residents that didn’t vote to publicly embarrass them? Or perhaps some simple instructions on how to connect the dots so that everyone feels comfortable in the voting booth.
 

We have almost a whole year to find the magic answer. Perhaps we can raise the bar and shoot for 50% participation. That should not be out of the question.

-Paul Pietal-

=
Last modified: 10/08/07