At Gilead’s town meeting, where votes are cast by a show of hands, Sharon Leighton was tending the wood stove at the back of the room when she was elected to the select board.

In many rural Maine towns, voting from the floor is routine. Residents cast votes, whether by show of hands, voice vote or written ballot, as has been done since the 17th century and continues in 75 towns and plantations in Maine.

For small towns, the system can be quicker and less expensive than a formal election, avoiding the need for ballots, staffing and polling hours. It can also make local government feel more accessible and participatory, with candidates sometimes nominated from the floor and offering brief remarks.

But the format has drawbacks. Groups of supporters — often neighbors or family — can turn out in force, creating pressure in a public setting that may discourage dissent. Those unable to attend cannot vote. In a small room, influential voices can carry added weight, potentially swaying outcomes more than in a secret-ballot election.

For several years, Leighton attended select board meetings, sitting across from her husband while he served 12 years on the board in this town of 195 people.

On March 28, they effectively traded seats.

Leighton was a ballot clerk and serves as town warden, roles she said came about much the same way as her nomination for the select board.

The Leightons have lived in Gilead for 33 years. Alfred Leighton worked as an extra gang foreman on the St. Lawrence & Atlantic Railroad, sometimes crossing the street to work, other times driving 100 miles.

Sharon Leighton runs a cleaning business and tends the flower gardens outside Town Hall. The couple lives at 30 Depot St., about 100 yards from the Town Hall.

Select board Chairman Bob Ensslen asked her to join the board the night of the town meeting.

“You know this town better than I do,” he said.

“I told him, ‘OK, but if somebody else speaks up, they can have it,’” she said. “But nobody else wanted it, so here I am.”

Leighton said after she was elected, she waved to the 13 or so voters from the back of the room, where she had been tending the stove since noon, warming the room ahead of the 7 p.m. meeting.