HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-10-14-VISION2025-min (Subcommittee on Local Election Voter Participation)VFL Subcommittee on Local Election Voter Participation
October 14, 2022
10 AM
Zoom
Minutes
Members in Attendance: Marian Cohen, Margaret Coppe, Daniel Joyner, Fernando Quezada, Eileen
Zalisk, Jeri Zeder
Guest: Bob Pressman
The meeting was called to order at 10:04 AM. A quorum was present. Interim Chair read the script for
remotely conducted open meetings.
Members voted unanimously: Cohen Aye, Coppe Aye, Joyner Aye, Quezada Aye, Zalisk Aye, Zeder
Aye.
The minutes from the May 6, 2022 meeting were voted unanimously. Voice vote: Cohen Aye, Coppe
Aye, Joyner Aye, Quezada Aye, Zalisk Aye, Zeder Aye.
The minutes from September 16, 2022 were postponed to the next meeting.
No volunteer for new Chair. Margaret Coppe will continue as interim.
Discussion followed of Town Clerk interview with Margaret Coppe.
It was suggested that the Town Clerk encourage participants to run for town wide office and for Town
Meeting. Rather than providing information about Town Meeting, this could be an opportunity for
increasing more wide spread representation in those elected bodies.
The lack of local newspaper coverage contributes to the problem of not only advertising local elections,
but informing voters about items on the municipal ballot. Better use of the Lexington Times and the on-
line Lex Observer was suggested.
It is possible to obtain voter information from the Town Clerk and from the Secretary of State, such as
how many registered voters are there in Lexington and how many vote in local elections. The Secretary of
State’s data base is cumbersome. The private voter data base Vote Builder is another source of voter
information.
Action items:
• Margaret will send her survey of local Town Clerks to the committee
• Dan, Eileen and Margaret will schedule interviews with Town Clerks in 3-4 communities to be
selected from the list Marian has put together. One question for them will be how much effort is
put into data collection
• Civics education. Jeri and Dan are collaborating. One suggestion is to have a speaker series.
Details will have to be worked out. Two teacher interns at Lexington High School are working on
registering students at the high school. Jeri will participate. The Town Clerk, working with the
elementary schools, held an election for students to vote on the shape of the new dog tags. The
committee thanked the Town Clerk and will urge her to continue and to expand this type of
collaboration with the schools.
The meeting adjourned at 1l: 25 AM by unanimous voice vote: Cohen Aye, Coppe Aye, Joyner Aye,
Quezada Aye, Zalisk Aye, Zeder Aye.
The next meeting of the VFL Subcommittee on Local Election Voter Participation will be held on
November 18, 2022 at 10 AM by Zoom.
Minutes submitted by
Margaret Coppe