Guest Commentary: Move the Vote

By Guest

Submitted by Lisa Lopez on behalf of Residents to Move the Vote

Though there are many things Canton residents may disagree about, one of the many things I believe most of us agree on is that the more people who vote, the better the outcome.

This consensus is the driving force of the campaign to move the time of our local elections from April to November to align with the time most voters are thinking about voting.

Another thing that would likely be agreed upon by those who attended the November 2023 Special Town Meeting is that the sum total of circumstances surrounding that late-night discussion and vote on Article 7 to change the date of local elections makes that event an unreliable indicator of what voters want. If you were there, whether in the auditorium with participants streaming to depart, or seated separately in the cafeteria or gym, with participants straining to hear and understand what was going on — particularly with the pixilating, on-again, off-again Wi-Fi connection — you know exactly what I mean. No actual count of raised cards was ever taken. Indeed, in that utter confusion and sheer exhaustion at that time of the evening, I’m not sure it could have been.

Massachusetts law provides voters with a way to tell local leaders what they think about an issue. It’s called a non-binding advisory ballot question (in contrast to the five binding ballot questions we just voted on in the November state election). To put a question on a local ballot, 10 voters may petition a Select Board to exercise its discretion to allow the ballot question, or 10 percent of a town’s voters can petition the local registrars, who then must allow the ballot question.

On November 12, our Select Board voted 3-2 against exercising its discretion to allow the broader Canton community the opportunity — by a ballot question — to determine whether to move our local elections from April to November. Therefore, the grassroots group of residents organizing the campaign to Move the Vote will submit signatures of 10 percent of Canton voters to ensure the question can be placed on the ballot. (Regrettably, this will mean the Town Clerk’s office has to spend time certifying 2,000 signatures, an event we had wished to avoid.)

Already, more than 500 signatures have been collected towards the target number of 2,000. If the signatures are collected in time to put the question on the April 2025 ballot, voters can vote yes or no in the privacy of the voting booth, and there will be a very clear indication to the Select Board of what voters want. If the vote is yes, then it will be up to the Select Board to exercise leadership and represent the interests of its constituents, beginning the long process of working to implement this process improvement to strengthen participation in our local government.

The initiative to change the timing of local elections is not new. It was approved by town meeting voters in 2014, but was permitted to languish in the legislature. At this time, when Canton is newly committed to moving forward by modernizing our bylaws to strengthen local government, this change remains just as relevant.

If you would like to sign the petition, please reach out through movethevote.info.

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