Frequently Asked Questions | One Person One Vote Brattleboro

NOTE: Version 8/26/25 – This page will be updated as additional questions come in.

Table of Contents

Why was there a petition drive for One Person One Vote?

Who was involved in the petition effort?

What are the barriers to participation?

How will the vote on the petition work?

How are other Vermont towns using Australian ballot?

Are other towns changing how they vote?

If the Australian ballot is adopted how will citizens be able to participate in decision making?

Why Australian Ballot?

The Australian ballot, also called secret ballot, allows voters to make their choices in private and at their own convenience. Voting can be done at the polling place on Election Day or Town Meeting Day, in advance at the Town Clerk’s office, or by mail by requesting an absentee ballot. Every registered voter who wants to can vote. Compared to all other methods of democratic decision making, Australian ballot has the lowest barriers to participation (see “What are the barriers to participation?” below).

The participation statistics (see table below) for Vermont’s 2025 Town Meeting Day show that for all towns greater than 750 voters, the participation rate in Australian ballot voting is at least twice that of floor voting (also known as “open town meeting” where only registered voters present in person can vote on issues such as the town budget).

For Towns over 5,000 voters the average participation in Australian ballot votes is twenty-three (23) times greater than that in floor votes. In this size category only two towns, Brattleboro and Middlebury, use floor votes for their budget. In both cases less than 2% of registered voters decided the budget.

Why was there a petition drive for One Person One Vote?

A loose group of citizens was energized when the Representative Town Meeting (RTM) rejected the first budget in March 2025. This group started paying closer attention to local politics, including the Charter Revision Commission (the Commission). Members watched and attended several Commission meetings. We made suggestions and asked questions. We came to the conclusion every voter in Town should be able to vote on Town matters. The mechanism for this is Australian ballot (traditional secret ballot).

We also came to the conclusion that the Commission intends to recommend open town meeting to replace RTM. This conclusion is supported by the draft of Charter changes included in the Commission’s packet for the August 14, 2025 meeting. Based on these conclusions we explored the options available to us and determined that a charter change petition was the best option.

Who was involved in the petition effort?

A diverse group of up to two dozen voters have been engaged in the discussion and circulation of the petition. Some have been involved for months, some engaged only recently to help circulate the petition. To get involved please send email to:

info@onepersononevotebrattleboro.org.

What are the barriers to participation?

The table below compares barriers to participation across the three forms of voting authorized by Vermont statutes. They are open town meeting (OTM -the default under Vermont law), Australian ballot, and representative town meeting (RTM).

Barrier	Discussion
Eligibility	Of the three forms, only RTM presents a barrier since participation requires voters to be elected by district.
Schedule	OTM and RTM require that voting be done at specific time. Australian ballot allows voters to schedule voting at their convenience within certain constraints
Duration	OTM and RTM typically run for many hours. Australian ballots can be completed in minutes.
Location	OTM and RTM occur at specified locations. This may present transportation or access barriers to voters who rely on public transportation.
Language	OTM and RTM are conducted in English, and typically translation is not available. While Australian ballots are also typically in English, absentee balloting allows voters to have assistance to assure comprehension and accurate voting.
Visual	OTM and RTM are primarily audio but may involve paper ballots as well. Australian balloting permits voters to have assistance to assure comprehension and accurate voting.
Hearing	OTM and RTM are primarily audio, however ASL services may be available. Australian ballots do not present this barrier.
Physical	Individuals with physical constraints are unable to participate in either OTM or RTM. Australian ballots do not present this barrier.
Personality	Participation in OTM and RTM may be limited by an individual’s personal style. Some people speak up readily and often while others remain mostly silent. These forms may be dominated by vocal minorities. With Australian ballot, each person has the same say.
Fear & Coercion	OTM and RTM are public forums. Individuals may be concerned that their votes could result in negative consequence, such as loss of business. Australian ballots protect against such social pressure.

When will the vote happen?

The statute defines three times when petitioned charter changes “shall” be put to a vote by Australian ballot. These are “the next annual meeting, primary, or general election” ((17 V.S.A. § 2645 (a)(5)(B)). The Town Attorney has stated that the Selectboard may put a petitioned charter change to a vote at special election. This means that it could be put to vote any time as long as the requirements for warning the vote and hearings are met.

How will the vote on the petition work?

Vermont statutes specify that “the legislative body shall not have the authority to revise a charter proposal made by petition” (17 V.S.A. § 2645 (a)(5)(A)). The petition has two articles. Article 1 asks if Brattleboro shall discontinue the representative form of annual meeting. Article 2, the implementation of which is contingent on an affirmative vote of the first, asks if Brattleboro shall adopt Australian ballot.

This is how it would work

A majority “yes” vote on Article 1 would discontinue representative town meeting immediately and without the need for legislative approval. Brattleboro would vote on all matters at an open town meeting absent any other action.
A majority “no” vote on Article 1 would preserve representative town meeting, regardless of the vote on Article 2.
If Article 1 passes and there is a majority “yes” vote on Article 2, then charter changes implementing Australian ballot would be submitted to the Vermont Legislature for approval. In this case, depending on the timing of the vote and legislative action, Brattleboro may have an open town meeting in March of 2026.
If Article 1 passes and there is a majority “no” vote on Article 2, then Brattleboro’s form of is automatically open town meeting.

How are other Vermont towns using Australian ballot?

Data collected by the Vermont Secretary of State shows how Vermont towns are using Australian ballot. It is based on self-reported data and incomplete. It summarizes usage for three general categories. The categories are Officers (e.g. select board), Budget, and Public Questions. The table below shows what items towns vote on by Australian ballot.

Are other towns changing how they vote?

The Secretary of State data contains responses under this heading – “Australian ballot voting adopted by Town for budget, officers, or public questions at 2025 Town Meeting”. This question appeared in the 2024 and 2023 town meeting data as well. The table below summarizes the responses to this question.

Over the last three years 31 towns of all sizes have adopted Australian ballot for some or all of their votes.

If the Australian ballot is adopted how will citizens be able to participate in decision making?

The short answer is “pretty much the same way they already do.” The Selectboard is responsible for crafting a budget for the Town and making decisions about operations of the Town, which include voting. Under any system of voting citizens can have many opportunities to participate in Town business: They can:

Share their concerns at Selectboard meetings in person or by Zoom
Send mail or email to the board or to individual board members
Use the drop box in the lot at the Municipal Center
Reach most board members easily by telephone
Attend warned informational sessions before each vote
Attend special meetings like the FY26 Budget Open House on November 12, 2024 and Selectboard listening session on April 8, 2025
Get a copy of the Town’s Annual Report at the Town Clerk’s office or review it online.

Brattleboro has a wealth of opportunity for voter participation. Voting by Australian ballot changes none of this.

Representative town meeting and open town meeting limit participation, deliberation and, most importantly, decision making to those who can attend a meeting at a specified time and place. The town with the highest turnout of all 2025 open town meetings in Vermont was Rockingham. Out of 3,981 voters on the Town Meeting checklist 294 (7.4%) were present. For comparison, out of 8,828 voters on Brattleboro’s checklist 2,580 (29%) voted by Australian ballot in 2025.