What is SB2?

Please vote YES on SB2, March 11, 2008 from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM

What is SB2?

SB2 is a form of Town Meeting that separates discussion from voting. All warrant articles are discussed and amended during the Deliberative Session in early February. Voting on those articles takes place 30 days later during Election Day, on the second Tuesday in March.

Unlike the current Town Meeting, SB2 allows EVERY VOTER to vote via paper ballot—NOT show of hands--on ALL THE ARTICLES in the town and school district warrants, in the PRIVACY of a voting booth, from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, OR by ABSENTEE BALLOT, something that is NOT possible under the current system.

This eliminates the disenfranchisement of those voters who work out of state, are traveling, in the military and/or out of country; retirees away for the winter, students away from home, elderly or ill unable to go to the usual late night meeting.

Most importantly, it eliminates the intimidation that is a large part of the present forum, having to argue your point of view in front of a hostile crowd full of special interest groups.

The ONLY CHANGES under SB2 will be WHEN and HOW you vote:

EVERYTHING ELSE REMAINS THE SAME!!!

The most common arguments against the adoption of SB2 are:

1. Voters will not be informed about the issues—FALSE. In fact, they will be better informed than today.  They can attend the Deliberative Session and then have 30 days AFTER the Session to get additional information, discuss with other voters, read pro and con articles, view the VCR tape of the deliberation session (it will be in the library) and make up their minds before voting in the privacy of the voting booth on the second Tuesday in March, without the pressures/intimidation of open voting at town/school meetings.  The consensus is that voters in towns that adopted SB2 are better informed NOW than ever before.  The Meredith News will print the warrant articles. You can write your decisions on that article at home and take it into the voting both with you for reference.

2. No one will vote—FALSE  Not only will they vote at their leisure between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM (instead of 5-15 minutes during Town/School meetings) but MORE people will vote because absentee ballots are available if a voter cannot be present, which is not the case during current town/school meetings 

3. Municipal employees will NEVER get a raise---FALSE. They will because raises are up to the Selectmen and Department Heads, not the voters, and are proposed as part of the budget or as warrant articles. 

4. No union contract will ever be approved---FALSE.  They will if the voters approve the warrant article, same as today.

5. No budget will ever pass—FALSE.  They will because all budgets are warrant articles up for consideration 

6. People will vote their wallets---TRUE. They always do. But based on SB2 voting experience, giving voters more time to research and think about the warrants, the vote against warrants is no greater than at town meeting.  An informed voter is a better voter!

7. If the budget is defeated, the town/school will have no money the following year—FALSE.  If the budget is defeated in March, the Selectmen are automatically authorized to hold a second vote 30 days later on the budget ONLY. If it still fails, the default budget will provide the same operating funds as the previous year plus adjustments for contractual obligations, i.e., raises due to collective agreements, etc. The difference is that the Town/School will have to operate with last year’s amounts, not their new, proposed figures 

If you have any questions or comments, please write us at Moultonboro Citizens Alliance, PO Box 678, Moultonborough, NH 03254 or email us at MoultonboroCitizensAlliance@yahoo.com

Please vote YES on SB2

Visit our website MoultonboroCitizensAlliance.org