Concord committee recommends electronic clickers for town meeting votes; debate over scope ends with narrow language

The Town Meeting Study Committee for the Town of Concord voted to recommend that electronic voting “clickers” be used for votes on main motions and for amendments to articles at town meeting. The committee approved the revised recommendation 6–0 with one abstention after members debated how broadly to phrase the rule.

Committee members said the change is intended to improve voter privacy, produce clearer counts and reduce questions about favoritism or human error in tallying votes. At the March 25 meeting, Parashar, a Town Meeting Study Committee member, summarized the change this way: “For votes on the main motions, amendments, we're gonna use clickers. That way, nobody can say that there was favoritism or anything else.” Carmen, who observed Westford’s electronic-voting setup and presented that experience to the committee, said the system’s display and speed worked well: “The display was easy to read. There weren't any problems.” She added that the clicker votes she observed took about 30 seconds each and that training and local IT support were important for a smooth rollout.

Nut graf: The committee framed the recommendation as a procedural change to reduce doubts about vote counts and protect voter privacy, while preserving moderator discretion for routine procedural matters. Members said the full town meeting can still evolve local practice, but that adopting a formal recommendation reduces perceived arbitrariness in when electronic voting is used.

The committee considered two competing wordings early in the discussion. One amendment proposed removing the word “routinely” to make the language stricter; that motion failed after a roll-call discussion and vote. Supporters of keeping “routinely” said it preserves limited moderator flexibility for procedural votes and other unforeseeable situations. Opponents said the word could be read as vague. Alice Kaufman, a committee member, urged the group to read the final amendment into the recorded motion before voting so the language before town meeting would be clear to voters.

Members also reviewed a demonstration visit to Westford’s annual town meeting, where moderators sometimes used voice votes and sometimes used clickers depending on the tenor of debate. Carmen described how Westford’s moderator “choosing when to use the clickers and when not to” and said staff found the system straightforward to operate but warned the committee to plan for edge cases such as misplaced clickers and potential proxy voting.

The committee discussed logistics and cost. Carmen said the town’s informational insert for this year was produced as an 8-page insert and cost roughly $1,200; a full mailing of all voters was described as commonly budgeted near $20,000. The committee also discussed the need for IT training and support and whether to lease or buy equipment after an initial trial.

The committee decided to present its recommendation as a rule of town meeting to the Select Board and to include guidance in its final report about when and how electronic voting should be used. Carmen advised leaving some discretion for unexpected situations: “The only thing I would say is that it's pretty difficult to predict every situation that might arise. And, therefore, a little bit of room and a little bit of, flexibility to adapt to unexpected situations is always a good thing.”

Votes at a glance: - Vote to approve final wording recommending clickers be used for votes on main motions and amendments to warrant articles: approved, 6 yes, 0 no, 1 abstention (Kristen Haggerty). The committee recorded aye votes from Keith Bergman, Alice Kaufman, Chase Thompson, Christian/Christine Haggerty, Phil Swayne and Eric Moore; one member abstained. (See provenance below.) - Consent vote to approve minutes from the March 10, 2025 meeting (prepared by Christine/Christian Haggerty): approved unanimously earlier in the session.

Ending: The committee will include the recommendation and explanatory material in its forthcoming report and present a rule or preview at the Select Board hearing on April 14. Members said the town meeting itself can refine application and that training and an IT support plan will be essential to implementation.