SB2 offers greater voter participation, not less

The Citizen        May 10th, 2008

Editor, The Citizen: I would like to commend Paul Dascoulias for his letter to the editor, of May 7th, addressing the intimidation experienced at Sanbornton's town meeting. I understand his plight as it is similar to what some towns encounter if they do not have the SB2 form of government.

As a matter of interest, petitions were circulated, which RSA 40 allows, in Moultonborough for secret ballots for seven warrants, most were $100,000 or more, for the Town Meeting this past March. Some people blamed the resulting voting delay on citizens that backed the SB2 plan for Moultonborough. The real fact is that citizens from both sides of the SB2 issue signed the same petitions for the privacy of the vote and it had nothing to do with intentionally delaying the meeting. It is puzzling to me what all the fuss is about when it comes to voting by secret ballot. We vote by secret ballot in the local, state and national elections.

The beauty of SB2 is the 30 day "cooling" off period between the deliberative session and the actual ballot, giving the voters the opportunity to think about, research and speak with others about the intent and ramifications of each warrant article and especially any amendments. There is no pressure to make an immediate decision or be swayed by a clever on the spot argument that may present only one side of the issue. The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. giving everyone a chance to participate and allows for absentee ballots for those unable to be present on ballot day. It's a fact that more citizens participate in the process when they are able to vote at the polls vs. a town meeting.

SB2 encourages more voter participation, isn't that what democracy is all about?

Jim Leiterman

Moultonborough