Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Governance Election topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
MPO adopts subregional representative election process with new three-step tie-breaker
Summary
The MPO approved an updated election process for four subregional representative seats (term 2027–2029), including a three-step tie-breaker that prioritizes towns less represented over the previous nine years, defers intra-town ties to the town select board, and, if unresolved, triggers a new election.
The Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization voted June 15 to approve its subregional representative election process for four seats covering the remaining towns in the region and to add a three-step tie-breaking procedure.
Stephen Tupper, deputy director of the Cape Cod Commission, reviewed the process the MPO follows every three years: a nomination step in October and a vote in November, with select board members permitted to submit nominations and votes by e-mail if they cannot attend. Tupper proposed that Commission staff serve as the election official, handling ballots and official election tasks.
To address the unlikely event of a tie, staff proposed and the MPO adopted a three-step tie-breaking approach. First, if there is a tie between towns, staff would consider which towns have been represented the least over the prior nine years and prefer the less-represented town to promote diversity of representation. Second, if candidates tied are from the same town, the decision would be left to that town’s select board to choose its representative. Third, if neither step resolves the tie, staff would hold a new election among the tied candidates.
Liz Argo moved to approve the election process including the tiebreaker; Kevin Galligan seconded. The MPO took a roll-call vote and the motion passed unanimously.
Tupper said this schedule allows newly elected representatives to take office January 1, 2027. Staff will distribute the process document to select boards and town administrations ahead of the October nomination window and will return to the MPO with any recommended clarifications.
