Dixfield selectmen are considering going to a secret ballot method.
By Terry Karkos
Staff Writer

DIXFIELD – Selectmen’s opinions weren’t exactly hopping Monday night during a discussion on possibly switching the town meeting voting method to Australian balloting.

Town Manager Nanci Allard broached the subject, saying she’d been contacted by several people in town who favored voting by secret ballot. She explained arguments for and against the Australian method. Currently, voting at town meeting is done by a moderator requesting a show of hands for yes and no tallies.

Allard argued that many more people would come out to vote if balloting was done like general elections. Of course, she said, that would mean buying a voting machine, but “there are more pluses than minuses.”

By switching to secret balloting, Allard believes as many as 1,100 people or more might turn out to vote rather than just the same 25 to 50 people who turn out each June.

Allard said the Town of Jay uses the Australian method.

“The down side of this for Jay is that if the budget fails to pass, then they have no budget. But on the plus side, they have a lot more people come out to vote,” she added.

To circumvent that scenario, Allard said Dixfield could create a proviso that if voters fail to pass a town budget, the town could revert back to its previous budget until a new budget could be agreed on.

However, Dixfield resident Ronda Palmer, who works at the Jay town office, contradicted Allard, claiming there were more minuses than pluses with Australian balloting.

Palmer said secret balloting doesn’t allow residents to debate an article, make amendments or change monetary amounts. But prior to the vote, selectmen would have to conduct a public hearing so there could be debate.

Selectmen offered little feedback. Ultimately, the decision to switch rests with town meeting voters if the board chooses to place the item on the June 2004 warrant.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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