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     Hanover, NH, Norwich, VT and neighboring towns

Updated 1/7/05 Home Page >> Voter Turnout >> page 3

Voter Participation in Hanover, a committee report
Analysis and Conclusions

Voter Turnout in Hanover--Tables

Table 1
Voter Turnout Hanover
 Town Meeting, 1980-2004 

Table 1 A
Voter Turnout Hanover
 all elections 1999-2004

Table 2
Percentage of registered voters casting ballots at Dresden School District budget votes 1991-2004

Table 3
Percentage of voters by town at Dresden School District annual meeting ballot voting 2001-2003

Report:Voter Participation in Hanover

  • Introduction
  • Background
    •
Online page 1
  • Update of Voter Information
  • Effect of Change in Population
  • Effect of Presidential Election Years
    •

Online page 2

  • Effect of Weather Conditions
  • Checklist Purge
  • Other Considerations
  • Conclusions
    •

Online page 3

  • A Summary of Recommendations
    •

Online page 4

  • Recommendations in detail: I The Need to Simplify

Online page 5

  • Recommendations in detail: II The Need to Include and Communicate

Online page 6

  • Recommendations in detail: III The Need to be Proactive

A SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS, November 2001

I. THE NEED TO SIMPLIFY

TOWN/SCHOOL
  • Encourage Public Debate
  • Publicize absentee voting procedures to avoid disenfranchising those who cannot vote when balloting occurs
  • Use Annual Reports to inform the public
  • Place voting procedures and warrants at the front of all Annual Reports
SCHOOL
  • To avoid confusion, distinguish more clearly between the names of the two school districts-Hanover (Ray School) and Dresden (Richmond Middle and High School)
  • Review the two-day school district voting procedure
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
  • Continue to produce voter education materials

 II. THE NEED TO INCLUDE AND COMMUNICATE

TOWN/SCHOOL
  • Provide frequent explanations of procedures to the public
  • Separate housekeeping articles from budget articles in Annual Reports and meeting agendas
  • Written discussion of budget articles should include financial and long term implications.
  • Finance Committee should explain more fully its position on budget articles
  • Warrant articles should be presented in both user-friendly and legal language
  • Sample ballots should be more widely distributed
  • Availability of Annual Reports should be publicized
  • Establish a Town/School newsletter for all citizens to enable them to keep up-to-date
  • Use the Town calendar to inform citizens of Town and School meetings as well as the short list of eleven meetings (see Appendix 3)
  • Involve more of the public by holding meetings at different locations
  • "Market" Town/School meetings
  • Ask other groups to avoid conflicts in scheduling with annual Town and School District meetings.
LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
  • Provide voter information
  • Offer workshops on citizen participation
  • Use the Newcomers' Luncheon to explain voting and related issues

III. THE NEED TO BE PRO-ACTIVE

TOWN/SCHOOL
  • Use media to create a climate of inclusiveness
  • Designate a Town/School Civics Day
CITIZENS
  • Go to meetings
  • Register to vote and vote in every election
  • Use web-sites and other sources of civic information
OTHER
  • Establish a Civics Association to address issues in this report

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