Never fear, Town Meeting is here

Town Meeting season is here, with Lakes Region municipalities gathering Tuesday to choose their local elected positions.

Some towns' second sessions are scheduled for Wednesday, March 12, and Saturday, March 15. 

Town elections are different from Town Meeting. At the election, New Hampshire towns decide their local officers, and at Town Meeting they deliberate the town budget and a list of warrant articles. 

Some towns hold public votes whereby constituents decide warrant articles in public in a business meeting session, while others vote on all matters by secret ballot. It’s a last vestige of direct democracy which relies heavily on public participation.

New Hampshire’s 13 cities do not conduct Town Meeting, but all of its 223 towns do. 

Town Meeting is an old tradition in New Hampshire. The practice originated in the 1630s, with voting men gathering to divide land, according to a New Hampshire Secretary of State voters guide. 

The first documented Town Meeting took place in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1633, and they began in New Hampshire in following years. Town Meeting in New Hampshire was traditionally scheduled in March, before farmers were able to sow for the upcoming season.

The town moderator presides over both the town elections and Town Meeting. While the selectboard writes the town warrant, voters may add additional articles by petition. Any petition which garners at least 25 signatures, or 2% of registered voters, whichever is less is added to the warrant.

While public debate and participation is traditional during Town Meeting, an individual can be fined $1 per offense for speaking out of turn, when the moderator desires silence, according to RSA 40:07. 

The way votes are taken varies town to town, but most fall under three categories: voice vote, whereby voters say either “aye” or “nay”; show of hands, where those in favor or opposed raise their hand to the sky to signal their position; and, in SB 2 towns, by secret ballot, where citizens vote on all matters on the same slip.

For elections, the moderator will share official ballot results after polls close at the Town Meeting location. For votes on warrant articles, the town moderator will share results after the vote’s been taken. 

Elections and Town Meeting dates are as follows:

Alton

Election: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, at Prospect Mountain High School

Ashland

Election: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Elementary School

Barnstead

Election: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on on Tuesday March 11, Elementary School

Town Meeting 2nd Session: 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 15, Elementary School

Belmont

Election: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, High School

Bristol

Election: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Historic Town Hall

Town Meeting 2nd Session: 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 15, Newfound Regional High School Auditorium

Center Harbor 

Election: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Town Office

Town Meeting 2nd Session: 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, Fire Station 

Gilford 

Election: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Youth Center

Gilmanton

Election: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Academy Building

Holderness

Election: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Town Hall

Town Meeting 2nd Session: 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, Central School Auditorium 

Loudon

Election: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Elementary School

Town Meeting 2nd Session: 9 a.m., Saturday, March 15, Elementary School 

Meredith

Election: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Meredith Community Center

Town Meeting 2nd Session: 7 p.m., Wednesday, March 12, Inter-Lakes High School

Moultonborough

Election: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Public Safety Building

Town Meeting 2nd Session: 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 15, Moultonborough Academy Auditorium

Northfield

Election: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Pines Community Center

Town Meeting 2nd Session: 9 a.m., Saturday, March 15, Compass Classical Academy

New Hampton

Election: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Town House

Plymouth

Election: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Elementary School

Town Meeting 2nd Session: 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, Elementary School 

Sanbornton

Election: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Town Hall

Town Meeting 2nd Session: 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, Central School

Tilton

Election: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Winnisquam Regional High School

Town Meeting 2nd Session: 8 a.m. on Saturday, March 15, at Winnisquam Regional High School

Tuftonboro

Election: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Town House

Town Meeting 2nd Session: 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 12, Central School 

Wolfeboro

Election: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday March 11, Town Hall