1368:'s comments: "I am more and more convinced that, with reference to any public question, it is more important to know what the country thinks of it than what the city thinks. The city does not think much. On any moral question, I would rather have the opinion of Boxboro than of Boston and New York put together. When the former speaks, I feel as if somebody had spoken, as if humanity was yet, and a reasonable being had asserted its rights — as if some unprejudiced men among the country's hills had at length turned their attention to the subject, and by a few sensible words redeemed the reputation of the race. When, in some obscure country town, the farmers come together to a special town-meeting, to express their opinion on some subject which is vexing the land, that, I think, is the true Congress, and the most respectable one that is ever assembled in the United States."
1085:
question lawfully submitted to them". In the late 1890s the state legislature shifted the meetings – by this time no more than town elections – to biennial to conform to the pattern of federal, state, and municipal elections in the state's cities. It also permitted, and later directed, town meetings to be held in
November. That process was not complete until the 1920s. Laws adopted in 1932 for the first time refer to "Biennial town elections", stating that these were "a substitute for a town meeting...and a reference in any law to a town meeting or special town meeting shall be construed as reference to a town election". The state's school districts (independent units with taxing powers) voted on budgets and capital levies and elected school board members in town-meeting style until the late 1950s.
621:
attendees of the meeting, Mansbridge also notes differences in participation on the basis of education and class when conflicts arise, writing that "the face-to-face assembly lets those who have no trouble speaking defend their interests; it does not give the average citizen comparable protection." Feminist critics have also identified mixed results in town meetings. While women's rates of attendance at town meetings was nearly equal relative to men's, their participation in discussion relative to men declined as the size of the town increased.
740:
1151:
271:
195:
430:
974:" the intent of a ballot question; for example, changing a warrant article, "To see if the Town will raise and appropriate (amount) for (purpose)" to merely read, "To see." A 2011 law barred deliberative sessions from deleting the subject matter of a warrant article. In 2016, petitioners in Exeter submitted an article to place on the ballot an advisory "vote of no confidence" in a school official, and the deliberative session removed the word "no".
143:
43:
691:, having three, five, or seven members. Between sessions, the board of selectmen interprets the policy set at Town Meeting and is assigned numerous duties including: approving all town non-school expenditures, authorizing highway construction and repair, serving as town purchasing agent for non-school items, issuing licenses, and overseeing the conduct of all town activities. Often the part-time selectmen also serve as
1040:, in which voters elect a small number of residents to act as the legislative body in their stead. Representative town meeting follows the same procedure as traditional town meetings, except they cannot decide matters that state law requires to be placed on the official town ballot. Representative town meeting is selected by a town charter, which may require additional matters to go onto the town ballot.
959:
three-fifths majority. This format was instituted by the state legislature in 1995 because of concerns that modern lifestyles had made it difficult for people to attend traditional town meetings. In 2019, however, the law was changed so that the three-fifths majority would have to occur at town meeting itself: The town meeting would have to vote to remove its own final decisions to the municipal ballot.
84:
613:, have presented the town meeting as a setting of "empowered participation" in which thoughtful deliberation between all participating individuals can coexist with a sense of engaged citizenship and responsibility for solving local problems. Both camps, however, note the difficulties of maintaining the benefits of town meetings when the format is scaled to larger groups.
950:, giving town meeting members the right to bar reconsideration of a specified vote (or any "action...which involves the same subject matter"). If a town meeting does not bar reconsideration and later does vote to reconsider a decision, the issue can be taken up only at an adjourned session at least one week later.
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call such a meeting, voters may call one through petition, and the number of signatures required on a petition to call a special town meeting is 200 or 20% of the registered voters, whichever number is lower. The selectmen have 45 days from the date of receiving such a petition to hold a special town meeting.
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from the colonial period into the 20th century. They were typically held between
February 1 and May 1 of each year primarily for the election of town officials but were also empowered to set "rules for fences and for impounding animals," supporting the poor, raising taxes, and to "determine any other
962:
Under SB 2, a first session, called a "Deliberative
Session", is held about a month prior to the town election. This session is similar in many ways to the traditional town meeting. However, unlike the town meeting, while the wording and dollar amounts of proposed ballot measures may be amended,
898:
Special town meetings' may be held whenever necessary, usually to deal with financial or other pertinent issues that develop between annual town meetings. They function the same as an annual town meeting, only the number of signatures required on a petition rises to 100. While the
Selectmen generally
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change process in the State
Legislature. Representative Town Meetings function largely the same as an Open Town Meeting except that not all registered voters can vote. The townspeople instead elect Town Meeting Members by precinct to represent them and to vote on the issues for them. Before it became
655:
Town meetings may have binding votes for some items in which the meeting participants vote to approve or deny the measure. Some towns require a referendum for items such as annual budgets and changes to the town's ordinances. For those items, the town meeting votes to whether or not to send the issue
586:
Town meetings represent some of the only modern institutions, apart from some townships in
Minnesota and the cantons of Switzerland, in which everyday citizens can regularly participate in "face-to-face" assemblies that deliberate binding collective action decisions in the form of laws. Proponents of
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The moderator also has the authority to postpone and reschedule the town meeting (or deliberative session, if SB 2 is in effect) to another reasonable date, place, and time certain in the case of a weather emergency in which the moderator reasonably believes the roads to be hazardous or unsafe.
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Deliberative sessions are less well attended, in bodies that have adopted SB 2, than are plenary town meetings in bodies that have not adopted SB 2, as their decisions are not final. However, the final vote by secret ballot attracts more voters than town meetings do because of the shorter
489:
At a town meeting, attendees determine the ordinances or rules of the town, its boards and commissions, elected and appointed positions, capital investments, expenditures, budgets, and local taxation, as well as the manner and frequency of future town meetings. Because towns self-govern and maintain
1166:
Vermont towns are normally required to hold an annual town meeting on the first
Tuesday in March at a place designated by the select board. The date of the annual Town meeting may be changed by a vote of the citizens at a Town meeting duly warned for that purpose. The purpose of town meeting is to
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reports and after consultations with other officials and the
Secretary of State, to postpone elections. As stated in at the beginning of the bill, it "provides for the postponement of town, city, village, and school district elections in the event of a winter storm warning, blizzard warning, or ice
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are elected to two-year terms on even years in towns and are elected in city wards at every other city election. The moderator presides over town meetings, regulates their business, prescribes rules of procedure, decides questions of order, and declares the outcome of each vote. Town meeting voters
985:
Center for Public Policy studies, 171 towns in New
Hampshire had traditional town meeting, while 48 had SB 2. Another 15 municipalities, most of them incorporated cities, had no annual meeting. The study found that 102 school districts had traditional town meeting, 64 had SB 2 meeting and
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have the option of choosing one of two types of annual meeting: Traditional meetings, and ballot-vote meetings that are known informally as "SB 2" or "Senate Bill 2". A variation of SB 2 and representative town meeting are also allowed under state law but as of 2015 are not in use by
620:
and Donald L. Robinson have argued that town meetings in
Vermont and Massachusetts feature extremely low turnout in part because they last for a full working day, leading to disproportionate representation of seniors and non-working residents in the meetings. As participation is still voluntary for
1209:
Citizen's Guide to Town Meeting, Vermont gives state employees the day off on town meeting day. Vermont "law also gives a private employee the right to take unpaid leave from work to attend his or her annual town meeting, subject to the essential operation of the business or government. Employees
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states. Like Connecticut, a few towns utilize a so-called Financial Town Meeting in which an Open Town Meeting exists with limited jurisdiction to vote only on financial affairs and the town's legislative powers have been vested in a Town Council. The direct democracy tradition is now uncommon in
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The Budgetary Town Meeting is a variation of the Open Meeting, but only the annual town operating budget as presented by the governing body can be voted on by the registered voters. When a town charter provides for a Budgetary Town Meeting it also must establish the procedures for the transfer of
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The second session, held on a set election day, is when issues such as the town's budget and other measures, known as warrant articles, are voted upon. When adopting SB 2, towns or school districts may hold elections on the second Tuesday in March, the second Tuesday in April, or the second
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Open town meeting is the form of town meeting in which all registered voters of a town are eligible to vote, together acting as the town's legislature. Town Meeting is typically held annually in the spring, often over the course of several evenings, but there is also provision to call additional
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created principles to regulate taxation and land distribution; it bought land for town use and forbade the use of it forever to those who could not pay their share within a month; it decided the number of pines each family could cut from the swamp and which families could cover their house with
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The Official Ballot Town Council is a variant form of the Town Council, in which certain items are to be placed on the ballot to be voted on by the registered voters. This process mimics the SB 2 process, except that the Town Council makes the determination of what items will go on the ballot.
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A colony law required all voters to be church members until 1647, though it may not have been enforced. The law changed in 1647, requiring voters to be above 24 years of age. The colony added a new requirement that a man must own taxable property with a value of at least 20 pounds in 1658 and
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concept to the town meeting-selectmen framework. Under this system, the manager is administrative head of town government, responsible to the select board for the administration of all departments under its control. The manager's duties include acting as purchasing agent, seeing that laws and
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Official ballot referenda, or the SB 2 format, provides that town voters make binding decisions not at town meeting but by secret ballot in the municipal election. To adopt SB 2, or to revert to traditional town meetings, a question to that effect on the municipal ballot must win a
792:
In provincial elections, only church members could vote. The number continued to fall from there. While in many respects Massachusetts society resembled England, the franchise was more widespread in the colony than it was in the mother country, as were the powers of local elected officials.
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declared that final authority on bylaws rested with town meetings and not selectmen. Two years later, in 1694, the General Court took authority to appoint assessors from selectmen and gave it to town meetings. An act of the colonial legislature gave town meeting the right to elect its own
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Cities and towns are governed by either a city council or a select board. They are fully empowered to act on most issues and are generally referred to as the municipality's legislative body. But all town budgets (and those of other independent taxing authorities) must be approved by
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An annual town meeting is held in the spring and may also be known as the annual budget meeting. Towns were once required to hold their annual town meetings between February 1 and May 31, but Chapter 85 of the Acts of 2008 extended this window of time to June 30. (Town
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town meetings are usually bound to a published agenda; meeting participants can not alter proposed items or add new business. Each town determines the method, frequency, and range of governance for its town meeting and codifies these in its ordinances or town charter.
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are elected to one-year terms. The moderator's duties include reviewing the warrant (published agenda) for town meeting, presiding over town meeting, deciding questions of order, making public declarations of each vote passed, and prescribing rules of the proceeding.
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start on July 1.) At this meeting, the town budgets for the new fiscal year and takes care of any outstanding housekeeping items from the current fiscal year. It may also vote on non-budgetary warrant articles, including the town's general and zoning bylaws.
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clapboard. The men who went to that town meeting hammered out the abstract principles under which they would live and regulated the most minute details of their lives. The decisions they made then affected the lives of their children and grandchildren.
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The town meeting "was the original and protean vessel of local authority." The early meetings were informal, with all men in town likely participating. Even when it did not fully exercise it, "the power of the town meeting knew no limit." Town meeting
516:
Town meetings have been practiced in the U.S. region of New England since colonial times and in some western states since at least the late 19th century. Town meeting can also refer to meetings of other governmental bodies such as regional water or
1191:; explaining the local government's budget request to the voters is the principal business of Town Meeting. Voters at Town Meeting may also vote on non-binding resolutions, and may place items on the ballot for the following year's meeting.
1198:. When the Town of South Burlington was re-chartered as the City of South Burlington in 1971, the new charter provided for city elections in April and required only budget increases of 10% or more per annum to be placed before voters.
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specifying each issue to be decided. Town meeting can amend the warrant articles before voting on them, and can conduct non-binding discussions of other issues, but cannot make other binding votes without this notice to town voters.
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presides over the meeting, making sure that the town's chosen rules of parliamentary procedure are followed, judging the results of voice votes or shows of hands and counting votes that are too close to be judged by eye or ear. The
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The 2017 municipal election was preceded by a large snowstorm, and the Secretary of State clarified that this statutory authority does not extend to postponing elections, but moderators in several towns did so anyway. In 2019, the
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or other municipal bodies in Europe. Tocqueville believed that town meetings, with direct power given to attending residents, trained citizens for participation in broader democratic society. Town meetings also influenced American
730:
From 1927 to 1939, eleven other Maine towns adopted special act charters similar to the Camden charter. Today, 135 Maine towns have the town meeting-selectmen-manager system, while 209 use the town meeting-selectmen system.
676:. Most cities and towns operate under the town meeting form of government or a modified version of it. Maine annual town meetings traditionally are held in March. Special town meetings also may be called from time to time.
1179:, are required by the terms of their charters to hold an annual town meeting, on Town Meeting Day. Many towns vote on matters of substance (e.g., budgets, elected officials, etc.) by secret ballot (also known as
989:
Because traditional-meeting communities tend to be smaller, only one third of the state's population was governed by traditional town meetings in 2002 and only 22 percent by traditional school-district meetings.
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must provide at least seven days notice to their employer to take advantage of this right to attend town meeting. Students who are over 18 also have the right to attend town meeting" and not be declared truant.
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of the town are eligible to participate in and vote at town meetings. Representative town meeting is used by some larger towns, where voters elect representatives to participate in town meetings, similar to a
2097:
1340:, annual meetings for deciding on legislative referendums. In the 17th century this was common across the region, but in the 21st century the meetings continue to exist only in the cantons of
2419:(University of Massachusetts Press; 2011) 344 pages; analyzes the rocky but productive process of town-meeting democracy in Ashfield, Mass., a community of just under 2,000 in the Berkshires.
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A moderator is chosen at the start of each meeting, which is typically held in a public venue, either in the town itself or nearby. Votes are taken by voice, and if close by show of hands.
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can call special town meetings throughout the year as needed, although these must be approved by a judge if they affect the budget. State law prohibits town meetings from being held on the
560:
Since the turn of the nineteenth century, political scientists have characterized New England's town meetings as notable examples of direct democracy. In 1831, political philosopher
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Tuesday in May. The election dates may be changed by majority vote. If a vote is taken to approve the change of the local elections, the date becomes effective the following year.
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An article may be placed on the warrant by the Selectmen, sometimes at the request of town departments, or by a petition signed by at least ten registered voters of the town.
98:
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Attendance wanes over the course of a town meeting, and a traditional tactic was to re-vote after many on the opposite side had gone home. In 1991, the state enacted
2009:
SB 2 means "Senate Bill 2" of the 1995 legislature. The term in context is always understood to mean the referendum option for town government. The statute is
2585:
482:
where only elected representatives can participate in the governing assembly, any town voter may participate in an open town meeting. This form is distinct from
838:
summons the town meeting into existence by issuing the warrant, which is the list of items—known as articles—to be voted on, with descriptions of each article.
528:
Records of early New England governance are sparse, leading to debate about the origin of town meeting. One interpretation is that it was adapted from local
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1393:
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Traditional town meeting is held annually on the second Tuesday of March to choose town officers, approve a town budget, and approve large contracts. Town
548:. In colonial New England there was very little separation between church and town governance, but town meeting continued to play a secular role after the
696:
1273:
allows municipalities with fewer than 100 people, as well as municipalities that have traditionally used the system, to operate under an open council.
1336:, that is of approximately 90% of all Swiss municipalities. The meetings are usually held twice a year. At the cantonal level, some regions also hold
616:
Other political scientists have expressed more skepticism toward town meetings on the basis of their poor attendance and lack of representativeness.
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Since town residents directly participate in their own governance and represent themselves without any intermediary, town meeting is an example of
458:
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storm warning. The bill also allows any person to vote absentee in the event of such a warning if he or she has concerns for his or her safety."
1183:). However, there is no state law that requires towns to vote by Australian ballot; several towns still conduct all business "from the floor".
205:
2401:, Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1980, provides an in-depth account of the dynamics in one Vermont town of about 500 people.
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allowing all those who previously were qualified to keep the franchise. In 1691, the property requirement was lowered back to 20 pounds.
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Town meeting often had a reputation for being "active, suspicious, contradictory, and cantankerous," but it was well regarded by others.
102:
2197:
521:. While the uses and laws vary by town and state, the general form is for residents of the town to periodically gather and serve as the
874:, which at the time was the largest town in the Commonwealth by population, had 216 representatives in Town Meeting, twelve from each
850:, often called the Advisory Committee, makes recommendations on articles dealing with money and often drafts the proposed budget. The
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that were responsible for financial decisions of the parish church. Another is that it stemmed from New England colonists aboard the
2082:
30:
This article is about the form of municipal decision-making. For the public event in which politicians speak with constituents, see
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1305:) all the residents of a town would meet outside the door of the largest church and vote on local matters. They would also elect a
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passed, and the Governor signed, SB 104, which created a procedure to postpone elections. It empowers the Town moderator, based on
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State law lets the town moderator adjourn a long-running meeting and reconvene it at a later date to finish the town's business.
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in which eligible town residents can directly participate in an assembly which determines the governance of their town. Unlike
2111:
2022:
2356:
1625:
1587:
1560:
1522:
1480:
1436:
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911:, towns, village districts (which can deal with various government activities but usually concern public water supplies) and
1162:, was built in 1822 to be used for town meetings, which had previously been held in private homes. It is still in use today.
1998:
699:. Generally, there are other elected town officers whose duties are specified by law. These may include clerks, assessors,
451:
153:
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2158:
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Any town meeting or adjournment thereof must have its time and place published with three days' notice, along with the
1244:. They were required once the voting population of a township reached 25 persons. Townships still hold town meetings.
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2333:
2292:
1855:
1660:
257:
239:
124:
70:
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was the first western state to adopt the town meeting system, but it was initially very restricted in its function.
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Towns in several western states and counties also practice town meeting, though generally with more limited powers.
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ordinances are enforced, making appointments and removals, and fixing the compensation of appointees. (See also:
444:
106:
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There is no general requirement for chartered municipalities to observe town meeting or to put their budgets to
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form of government. Massachusetts towns with 6,000 or more residents may adopt either open town meeting or the
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327:
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elect municipal officers, approve annual budgets and conduct any other business. All cities and some towns in
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17:
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to a referendum, which is held at a later date pursuant to the schedule laid out in that town's ordinances.
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to vote solely on financial affairs while the town's legislative powers have been vested in a town council.
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may make legal recommendations on any articles of the warrant, to ensure town meeting is acting lawfully.
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1023:
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862:
827:
807:
479:
570:(1835) that town governments in New England appeared to show greater political independence than French
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held by elected officials to communicate with their constituents, which have no decision-making power.
353:
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1954:
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region of the United States. In Massachusetts, towns with fewer than 6,000 residents must adopt the
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2563:
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funds among various departments, funds, accounts and agencies as may be necessary during the year.
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1987:
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Due to a change in the state's constitution, Rhode Island municipalities have a greater degree of
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1119:
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As of 2006, this form of government is not used in any town or school district in New Hampshire.
769:
592:
541:
169:
2060:
93:
may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience
2476:
2035:
1135:
1131:
1127:
1029:
939:
680:
606:
388:
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648:. Some towns use a financial town meeting form where an open town meeting exists with limited
2201:
1552:
1514:
1341:
1270:
1199:
778:
600:
583:, who believed they were "the perfect exercise of self-government and for its preservation."
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2010:
1542:
1504:
947:
2580:
2455:
1111:
1107:
566:
303:
8:
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1851:
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1281:
The best-known example of the Spanish town meeting system of government was found in the
1172:
999:
275:
2460:
2381:
603:, have advocated town meetings as forms of direct democracy based upon unitary values.
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of the state churches, forming the core of government for most New England towns today.
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1741:
875:
786:
688:
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their autonomy, town meetings vary from state to state, as well as from town to town.
417:
Executive leader and executive committees elected by the council from among themselves
213:
165:
2636:
2553:
2537:
2433:
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2329:
2193:
2147:
Jewett's Manual for Election Officers and Voters in the State of New York (1893-1918)
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1518:
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1432:
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669:
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285:
217:
62:
31:
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Civil Government in the United States: Considered with Some Reference to Its Origins
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2125:
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in 1715, but this had already been in practice for several years in towns such as
2238:
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to represent them in the regional assembly. The village or town was divided into
1262:
912:
617:
518:
508:, where it has been the primary form of town government since the 17th century.
434:
1150:
2406:
2270:
2231:
1241:
692:
596:
2600:
2534:
1737:
1635:
1597:
1337:
1313:, which dealt with day-to-day administration in each of the town's parishes.
1180:
908:
715:
700:
673:
576:
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visited several townships in Massachusetts, remarking in the first volume of
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any relevant information, and removing excessive detail that may be against
1037:
866:
855:
835:
814:
743:
719:
649:
645:
334:
319:
1859:
270:
2083:"Statehouse Debate Over Town Election Scheduling Bill Draws Packed Crowd"
1726:"Review of Real Democracy: The New England Town Meeting and How it Works"
1282:
1266:
1098:
888:
818:
629:
505:
2422:
Zuckerman, Michael. "The Social Context of Democracy in Massachusetts,"
2293:"La Moncloa. Institutions of Spain [Spain/Spanish Institutions]"
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1200:
No other municipality has been granted such a charter by the legislature
429:
2427:
1837:
1195:
1188:
851:
718:
adopted a special charter and became the first Maine town to apply the
1975:
1829:
1541:
Tocqueville, Alexis de; Mansfield, Harvey C.; Winthrop, Delba (2000).
1615:
1577:
1237:
1094:
925:
708:
704:
537:
1650:
2098:"Moderators likely to gain authority to postpone town election day"
1231:
971:
684:
525:, voting on finances, ordinances, and other matters of governance.
1202:, and there is strong sentiment against making future exceptions.
1317:
1168:
1159:
533:
392:
861:
Massachusetts towns having at least 6,000 residents may adopt a
668:, the town meeting system originated during the period when the
1321:
529:
2374:
Real Democracy: The New England Town Meeting and How it Works
1290:
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no actual voting on the merits of the proposals takes place.
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serves as the clerk of the meeting by recording its results.
665:
401:
Executive leader elected by the council from among themselves
315:
204:
deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a
1707:
1705:
1540:
1332:
Town meetings are the usual legislative body of the smaller
785:
increased that sum to 80 pounds in 1670. The 1670 law had a
1883:
1881:
1879:
1877:
1171:
operate under charters instead of general legislation (see
1925:
1923:
1910:
1908:
1783:
1781:
1779:
1764:
1793:
1702:
1582:. Vol. 10. Princeton University Press. p. 225.
2376:, Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 2004.
2138:
McKinney's Consolidated Laws of New York State Annotated
1893:
1874:
1805:
1455:
Direct Legislation Through the Initiative and Referendum
2417:
Town Meeting: Practicing Democracy in Rural New England
2023:
House Bill 415, signed into law in 2019 as Chapter 131.
1935:
1920:
1905:
1776:
1752:
1652:
The New England town meeting : democracy in action
1617:
Town meeting: practicing democracy in rural New England
1102:
Rhode Island. Ten towns have town meeting governments:
544:, gathered to adopt their own rules of governance, the
1686:
Strong democracy: participatory politics for a new age
1240:
has had town meetings as the policy-setting bodies of
497:, and examined as a case study in democratic theory.
474:, also known as an "open town meeting," is a form of
2559:
List of significant United States town hall meetings
2533:
2456:
UMaine Margaret Chase Smith Center for Public Policy
2432:
Town meeting time: A handbook of parliamentary law (
1957:. General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
1688:. University of California Press. pp. 269–281.
2499:
N.H. Center for Public Policy Studies report on SB2
2408:
County and Township Government in the United States
1297:(literally "in front of the church" from the Latin
953:
2344:
2321:
1828:
1620:. Univ. of Massachusetts Press. pp. 214–217.
1730:Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory
1579:The papers of Thomas Jefferson: Retirement series
1509:. University of Chicago Press. pp. 213–231.
1472:The New England Town Meeting: Democracy in Action
1055:can override the moderator's procedural rulings.
500:The town meeting form is used in portions of the
2598:
2392:New England Town Meeting: Safeguard of Democracy
1576:Thomas, Jefferson; Looney, J. Jefferson (2018).
810:and town council, are representative democracy.
2259:. Werner School Book Company. pp. 107–115.
2080:
993:
1316:The system was revived in the municipality of
1175:). The cities and chartered towns, except for
1017:
970:Deliberative sessions have been charged with "
813:It is a form of government typical of smaller
2519:
2494:NH RSA Chapter 40: Government of Town Meeting
1261:operate under a town meeting system called a
639:In towns with an open town meeting form, all
452:
202:The examples and perspective in this article
2394:, Brattleboro, VT: Stephen Daye Press, 1940.
2095:
1955:"Massachusetts Constitution, Article LXXXIX"
1575:
1032:(paragraph III)) gives the alternative of a
919:
27:Form of direct democracy for cities or towns
2481:Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
2198:"A Citizen's Guide to Vermont Town Meeting"
1547:. University of Chicago Press. p. 57.
1429:10.1093/acprof:osobl/9780199604432.001.0001
1423:. Oxford University Press. pp. 65–94.
378:Citizens vote on policy, officers, and laws
318:elected by the people, elected legislative
71:Learn how and when to remove these messages
2526:
2512:
2319:
1799:
1711:
967:time requirement, and absentees can vote.
459:
445:
358:Elected commission enacts laws and governs
2342:
2257:History and Civil Government of Minnesota
2244:
2192:
1941:
1929:
1914:
1899:
1887:
1811:
1787:
1770:
1758:
1648:
1468:
1008:
258:Learn how and when to remove this message
240:Learn how and when to remove this message
125:Learn how and when to remove this message
1613:
1451:
1149:
738:
269:
168:by adding descriptive text and removing
2351:. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
1850:
1823:
1817:
1445:
1416:
1387:
1385:
802:special meetings. Open town meeting is
14:
2599:
2404:
2183:24 App. V.S.A. ch. 149, § 22(b)(1)(C).
2130:
1947:
1683:
1553:10.7208/chicago/9780226924564.001.0001
1515:10.7208/chicago/9780226077987.001.0001
1458:. True Nationalist Publishing Company.
2507:
2379:
2250:
2118:
1723:
1502:
1265:("open council") that dates from the
954:Official ballot referenda (SB 2)
409:Executive mayor elected by the people
2273:. Minnesota Association of Townships
2159:"Town Meeting & Local Elections"
1609:
1607:
1536:
1534:
1498:
1496:
1494:
1492:
1412:
1410:
1394:"Town Meeting as a Democratic Ideal"
1382:
555:
188:
136:
77:
36:
24:
2366:
2081:Casey McDermott (March 29, 2018).
2061:"SAU 16 officials make their case"
1988:Law establishing village districts
1649:Zimmerman, Joseph Francis (1999).
1469:Zimmerman, Joseph Francis (1999).
1247:
25:
2663:
2444:
1999:Forms of Town Government - NH.gov
1604:
1531:
1489:
1407:
1391:
1276:
337:hired by the elected City Council
52:This article has multiple issues.
2473:Citizen's Guide to Town Meetings
1452:Sullivan, James William (1893).
1417:Fishkin, James S. (2011-08-18).
902:
734:
687:, part-time board, known as the
683:agency of town government is an
428:
193:
141:
82:
41:
2632:Local government in New England
2285:
2263:
2225:
2216:
2186:
2177:
2151:
2104:
2089:
2074:
2053:
2028:
2016:
2003:
1992:
1981:
1968:
1844:
1717:
1677:
1358:
1225:
1088:
1080:Town meetings were the rule in
60:or discuss these issues on the
2313:
2096:Dave Solomon (March 9, 2019).
1642:
1569:
1475:. Greenwood Publishing Group.
1462:
1327:
1213:
624:
595:in political thought, notably
532:meetings held in 17th century
13:
1:
1375:
1334:municipalities of Switzerland
881:
695:, overseers of the poor, and
2405:Porter, Kirk Harold (1922).
2386:. Houghton, Mifflin Company.
2320:Mansbridge, Jane J. (1980).
1974:See amendment LXXXIX of the
1684:Barber, Benjamin R. (1984).
1614:Robinson, Donald L. (2003).
1207:Vermont Secretary of State's
1046:
994:Official ballot town council
750:
707:, school committee members,
107:Knowledge's inclusion policy
7:
2461:Maine Municipal Association
2343:Lockridge, Kenneth (1985).
1075:
1034:representative town meeting
1024:Representative town meeting
1018:Representative town meeting
983:University of New Hampshire
863:representative town meeting
828:representative town meeting
808:representative town meeting
480:representative town meeting
216:, discuss the issue on the
10:
2668:
2424:William and Mary Quarterly
2399:Beyond Adversary Democracy
2324:Beyond Adversary Democracy
2232:Vermont Moderator statutes
2163:Vermont Secretary of State
2100:. Manchester Union-Leader.
1976:Massachusetts Constitution
1856:"Slavery in Massachusetts"
1145:
1021:
997:
986:10 had no annual meeting.
981:In 2002, according to the
932:election day in November.
865:system through the normal
806:, while its alternatives,
725:Council-manager government
511:
347:Executive and legislature
302:Executive and legislature
29:
2569:Representation (politics)
2544:
2328:. New York: Basic Books.
2241:accessed February 9, 2008
2025:Retrieved 8 January 2020.
1655:. Praeger. pp. 1–3.
1392:Field, Jonathan Beecher.
920:Traditional town meetings
579:thought particularly for
406:Elected mayor and cabinet
2607:United States town halls
2564:Representative democracy
2040:www.gencourt.state.nh.us
1831:Slavery in Massachusetts
1724:Piper, Laurence (2005).
1503:Bryan, Frank M. (2003).
1351:
1252:
1069:National Weather Service
796:
659:
2251:Niles, Sanford (1897).
1259:municipalities of Spain
1036:, similar to that of a
770:Great and General Court
542:Plymouth, Massachusetts
369:Direct democratic forms
170:less pertinent examples
2627:History of New England
2586:21st-century movements
2477:William Francis Galvin
1163:
1097:compared to the other
1009:Budgetary town meeting
763:
747:
607:Deliberative democrats
389:Executive arrangements
278:
2271:"Information Library"
1420:When the People Speak
1342:Appenzell Innerrhoden
1153:
758:
742:
601:University of Vermont
562:Alexis de Tocqueville
540:who, upon landing in
273:
2581:Indivisible movement
2380:Fiske, John (1904).
2297:www.lamoncloa.gob.es
2085:. N.H. Public Radio.
1852:Thoreau, Henry David
1825:Thoreau, Henry David
1544:Democracy in America
1271:Spanish constitution
831:form of government.
714:In 1927 the town of
567:Democracy in America
222:create a new article
214:improve this article
2617:Deliberative groups
2426:(1968) 25:523-544
2141:(Chapter 634,
1862:on November 8, 2008
1366:Henry David Thoreau
1173:special legislation
593:civic republicanism
435:Politics portal
276:Huntington, Vermont
166:improve the article
2652:Popular assemblies
2612:Community building
2576:Tea Party movement
2538:town hall meetings
2415:Robinson, Donald.
2397:Mansbridge, Jane,
2347:A New England Town
2237:2008-06-26 at the
2194:Markowitz, Deborah
1364:See, for example,
1164:
1154:The Town House of
787:grandfather clause
748:
697:road commissioners
689:Board of Selectmen
484:town hall meetings
397:Leader and cabinet
279:
274:A town meeting in
2642:New England towns
2594:
2593:
2554:Town hall meeting
2372:Bryan, Frank M.,
2358:978-0-393-95459-3
2204:on August 5, 2012
2063:. Seacoast Online
1773:, pp. 47–48.
1627:978-1-55849-854-9
1589:978-1-4008-4004-5
1562:978-0-226-80536-8
1524:978-0-226-07797-0
1482:978-0-275-96523-5
1438:978-0-19-960443-2
1205:According to the
1181:Australian ballot
848:Finance Committee
823:open town meeting
670:District of Maine
641:registered voters
556:Democratic theory
546:Mayflower Compact
504:, principally in
469:
468:
328:Council - Manager
268:
267:
260:
250:
249:
242:
224:, as appropriate.
187:
186:
135:
134:
127:
75:
32:Town hall meeting
16:(Redirected from
2659:
2622:Direct democracy
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2214:
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2211:
2209:
2200:. Archived from
2190:
2184:
2181:
2175:
2174:
2172:
2170:
2155:
2149:
2134:
2128:
2122:
2116:
2115:
2114:. July 10, 2019.
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1933:
1927:
1918:
1912:
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1897:
1891:
1885:
1872:
1871:
1869:
1867:
1858:. Archived from
1854:(July 4, 1854).
1848:
1842:
1841:
1835:
1827:(July 4, 1781).
1821:
1815:
1809:
1803:
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1732:(107): 119–124.
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1389:
1369:
1362:
1177:South Burlington
1065:NH General Court
913:school districts
870:a city in 2018,
804:direct democracy
589:communitarianism
581:Thomas Jefferson
550:disestablishment
523:legislative body
519:school districts
495:direct democracy
476:local government
461:
454:
447:
433:
432:
418:
414:Committee system
410:
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338:
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294:local government
292:Common forms of
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2647:Vermont culture
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2369:
2367:Further reading
2359:
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2239:Wayback Machine
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2042:
2036:"House Bill 77"
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1800:Mansbridge 1980
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1712:Mansbridge 1980
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1293:. Known as the
1279:
1263:Concejo abierto
1255:
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1248:Other countries
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916:any community.
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618:Jane Mansbridge
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309:Mayor - Council
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286:Politics series
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2445:External links
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2222:21 V.S.A.§472b
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2117:
2112:"SB 104-LOCAL"
2103:
2088:
2073:
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2015:
2002:
1991:
1980:
1967:
1946:
1942:Lockridge 1985
1934:
1930:Lockridge 1985
1919:
1915:Lockridge 1985
1904:
1902:, p. 121.
1900:Lockridge 1985
1892:
1890:, p. 128.
1888:Lockridge 1985
1873:
1843:
1816:
1814:, p. 124.
1812:Lockridge 1985
1804:
1802:, p. 131.
1792:
1788:Lockridge 1985
1775:
1771:Lockridge 1985
1763:
1759:Lockridge 1985
1751:
1716:
1714:, p. 274.
1701:
1694:
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1506:Real Democracy
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1022:Main article:
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998:Main article:
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883:
880:
815:municipalities
798:
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752:
749:
736:
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711:, and others.
701:tax collectors
693:town assessors
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597:Frank M. Bryan
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2390:Gould, John,
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2335:9780465006571
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2196:(July 2008).
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1944:, p. 56.
1943:
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1932:, p. 49.
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1911:
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1790:, p. 47.
1789:
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2143:Laws of 1932
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2126:Laws of 1897
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164:Please help
152:may contain
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54:Please help
51:
2314:Works cited
2169:January 24,
1866:October 29,
1328:Switzerland
1295:anteiglesia
1283:Middle Ages
1267:middle ages
1257:Some small
1099:New England
1028:State law (
819:New England
630:Connecticut
625:Connecticut
506:New England
2601:Categories
2438:0971167907
2302:2021-03-03
2253:"The Town"
2067:2016-08-30
1961:2019-04-08
1838:Wikisource
1695:0520051157
1376:References
1301:- and not
1219:Moderators
1196:plebiscite
1189:plebiscite
1104:Barrington
1052:Moderators
1030:RSA 49-D:3
972:sabotaging
882:Scheduling
872:Framingham
852:Town Clerk
775:moderators
709:constables
705:treasurers
609:, such as
577:republican
333:Executive
314:Executive
158:irrelevant
103:relocating
57:improve it
2277:8 January
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2011:RSA 40:13
1738:0040-5817
1636:837668161
1598:778202545
1324:in 1990.
1311:cofradĂas
1242:townships
1238:Minnesota
1214:Moderator
1120:Hopkinton
1116:Glocester
1095:home rule
1047:Moderator
948:RSA 40:10
926:selectmen
843:Moderator
746:in Boston
681:executive
538:Mayflower
218:talk page
154:excessive
63:talk page
2637:Meetings
2428:in JSTOR
2235:Archived
2045:17 April
1746:41802293
1671:55214672
1232:Michigan
1156:Marlboro
1136:Tiverton
1132:Scituate
1128:Richmond
1082:New York
1076:New York
930:biennial
876:precinct
572:communes
304:separate
212:You may
160:examples
1318:Iurreta
1307:sindico
1285:in the
1169:Vermont
1160:Vermont
1146:Vermont
940:warrant
867:charter
817:in the
751:History
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685:elected
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1108:Exeter
779:Dedham
716:Camden
530:vestry
2450:Maine
1742:JSTOR
1399:1 Dec
1352:Notes
1291:Spain
1253:Spain
797:Forms
666:Maine
660:Maine
349:fused
316:mayor
220:, or
2434:ISBN
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2279:2020
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