Wayland High School student leads electronic voting demonstration

Wayland Town Crier 2/11/10: Wayland High School student leads electronic voting demonstration. fter the chaos and confusion of last November’s special Town Meeting, many Wayland voters are ready for changes that will make the event more efficient, effective and user-friendly. Of the many recommendations that have been submitted, electronic voting seems to have gained considerable traction. Earlier this month, about 50 residents attended a demonstration of electronic voting organized and presented by 17-year-old Wayland High School junior Monique Sager. Sager’s group, Improve Wayland Democracy, is supporting articles 20 and 29 at next May’s annual Town Meeting. Article 20 calls for determining whether the town will appropriate funds for electronic voting. Article 29 calls for determining whether the town will support the creation of a Web site to allow voters to debate the pros and cons of town meeting issues online and interactively. Reaction to the presentation was mixed. "We spend a lot of money in this town on a lot of things," said resident Anette Lewis. "So if it’s really $16 per person and it will last for a number of years, I think it’s money well spent." Selectman Susan Pope was concerned about the cost and the fact that, if Wayland adopts electronic voting, it will be the first community in the commonwealth to do so. She also felt the Web site sounded too much like a blog. Alluding to the impending creation of the Town Meeting Procedures Review Committee to study all of the proposals on the table, Pope believed it was premature to move ahead on electronic voting and the Web site. For more information on the proposal click here.

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