ORLEANS – Officials in Orleans are considering taking a step toward modernization at their annual town meeting.
Selectmen have been weighing a proposal to conduct votes with electronic clickers, as opposed to the long-used method of voting with raised hands.
According to clicker proponent Selectman Mefford Runyon, the change’s benefits are two-fold. First they would expedite the often painfully lengthy voting process, and second they would allow for anonymity in voting.
Town Moderator David Little sees things differently, contesting that the clickers would have little effect on meeting time, contending that with or without clickers, resident still get five minutes of speaking time, which accounts for most of town meeting’s length.
Further, Little says that the vast majority of issues presented at town meeting are non-controversial and can be approved or rejected on a simple voice vote, making the clickers an unnecessary expenditure.