OXFORD – Selectmen agreed Thursday to let voters decide whether to change the way selectmen are elected.

Traditionally, candidates running for elective office in town, including the selectmen and the fire chief, are elected by voters at town meeting after being nominated from the floor.

Selectman Lois Pike said several people in town have asked her to pursue a change to a secret ballot process, so that absentee ballots could be counted.

The secret ballot would take place a day or two before the town meeting, and would require candidates to take out nomination papers and get signatures to have their name put on the ballot.

At Thursday’s meeting, Town Manager Michael Chammings said selectmen would need to have a special town meeting at least 90 days before next June’s town meeting in order to implement the change next year.

But Selectman Scott Owens said he’d rather have residents vote on the change at the annual town meeting so that a special town meeting wouldn’t be necessary.

Other selectmen agreed. The delay would mean that if voters pass the change in voting method, the secret ballot process would not be used until the town meeting in 2006.

Selectman Dennis Sanborn voted against having voters consider the change, and David Ivey abstained from voting.