Voter Accessibility to be Discussed at Town Meeting 2024

The Australian Ballot is a voting system where voters mark their choices privately on uniform printed ballots. This is how Jericho voters currently decide on the School Budget and elect Town Officials. (Note, this is how all voting was conducted during the pandemic.)

A Floor Vote occurs during Town Meeting. At a floor meeting, voters can engage in discussion to clarify or amend items; voting on items occurs by those present, using a public voice vote. Jericho currently uses floor voting to decide on the Town Budget and public questions (e.g. Shall the town exempt from property taxation the lands and premises known as the Winooski Valley Park District for a period of 5 years?).

With the urging of the JDEIC, on Dec. 21, 2023 the Jericho Selectboard added the following articles to be discussed and voted on the floor at Town Meeting:

  • Shall the Town of Jericho adopt all budget articles by Australian ballot?
  • Shall the Town of Jericho adopt all public questions by Australian ballot?

The Jericho Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee (JDEIC) is chartered to explore ways to make Jericho a more inclusive community. The JDEIC has engaged in extensive study and debate of the extent to which Town Meeting is accessible to all, including a survey of Jericho residents. The results of JDEIC Survey along with results of broader research efforts, including Jericho floor vote and Australian ballot voter turnout statistics of the last 10 years; how many VT towns use Australian Ballot for all votes and how long have they been doing so and more can be viewed at the end of this post.

The JDEIC is asking the voters of Jericho to reflect on our current Town Meeting practices. What is the “most democratic” way of doing business? What is the most inclusive and accessible way to engage voters? How are you most likely to participate and vote? Do we want to continue with the system we are using, or make a total or partial shift to Australian ballot? If we make a change, how do we want that change to look? How do we create a hybrid version of our current system (minus the voting) that preserves the ability to share thoughts and engage in dialogue with each other?

As we approach Town Meeting Day, the JDEIC encourages the voters of Jericho to reflect on these practices, review the information the JDEIC has gathered, and engage in conversation. You can reach out to JDEIC members directly or to the Committee as a whole using the email, DEIchair@jerichovt.gov. Please re-visit this page and engage in the ongoing discussion– more information will be added over the coming weeks, including a space to engage in public discourse.


CLICK HERE FOR SURVEY SUMMARY