HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-09-22-VISION2025-min (Subcommittee on Local Election Voter Participation)1
VFL Subcommittee on Local Election Voter Participation
September 22, 2023
10 AM
Zoom
Approved Minutes
Members in Attendance: Marian Cohen, Margaret Coppe, Daniel Joyner, Fernando Quezada,
Eileen Zalisk, Jeri Zeder
Staff: Cathy Severance, Office Manager, Town Manager Office
Staff Cathy Severance started the Zoom meeting. Dan Joyner was made co-host.
The meeting was called to order at 10:00 AM. A quorum was present. Chair Jeri Zeder read the
script for remotely conducted open meetings.
Members voted unanimously: Cohen Aye, Coppe Aye, Joyner Aye, Quezada Aye, Zalisk, Aye,
Zeder, Aye.
Approval of the minutes as amended from the August 18 2023, meeting was moved by Jeri
Zeder and seconded by Fernando Quezada and voted unanimously. Voice vote: Cohen, Aye,
Coppe Aye, Joyner, Aye, Quezada Aye, Zalisk, Aye, Zeder, Aye.
Discussion items
Chief Equity Officer Hemali Shah presented her role in the Town and answered questions. She
divides her role into internal work with policies and procedures and external work with
community groups. She runs SEAT: Strategic Equity Advisory Team.
Marian Cohen commented that results from the 2022 Town Wide Survey that some barriers to
voting came up and proposed that education is needed, perhaps focused on specific groups.
Eileen Zalisk asked about the voting status of the respondents.
Daniel Joyner asked if there is any sense of the barriers that are experienced and suggested
reaching out to the Indian Seniors of Lexington.
Fernando Quezada reminded us of an earlier initiative of the 2020 Vision Committee related to
politeness that resulted in staff training.
Hemali Shah shared an Employee Demographic comparing changes in the ethnic makeup of the
Town staff, which she will share with the committee. She has held two communication trainings
with staff and has plans for more.
Margaret Coppe pointed out the difficulty of finding voting information on the Town website.
She asked about efforts to extend voting rights in local elections to green card holders.
Jeri Zeder mentioned two specific issues that emerged as barriers to voting: transportation and
voter education. Communication continues to be problematic.
The Toledo Lucas County Public Library (Ohio) Civic Engagement website was discussed. It
was suggested that the committee report recommend a similar action item in its report.
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Party at the Polls (When We All Vote) put forth social programming around voting. This
suggestion is reminiscent of the Cupertino, CA block parties recommended in the 2020 Vision
Committee 2017 report on Subcommittee on Asian Communities.
The New America report on Ranked Choice Voting was distributed and will be discussed at a
future meeting.
Draft Report to Select Board Outline
Part VI
The report to the Select Board has to be written and a schedule developed. Consensus was
reached that finishing the report, sending it to the Select Board, and implementing
recommendations would not happen for the 2024 municipal election.
The meeting adjourned at 11:03 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 October 20 2023 at 10 AM by Zoom.
Minutes submitted by
Margaret Coppe