Essex Governance Group
Background Information
The Essex Governance Group is a diverse group of local leaders and residents that has been working together since August to engage Essex citizens in a conversation about ways we can continue to improve civic engagement and governance. We hope this conversation will lead to:
We have learned that:
Essex Explores Voting Possibilities and Civic Engagement
Town and Village residents, concerned citizens, elected officials, and young and
old, turned out at Essex High School on Saturday Nov. 8 for “Dine & Discuss: Essex Democracy and You,” a forum about how the Essex community votes and how to increase citizen participation.
In lively small-group discussions, about 60 people worked together to discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by the current voting methods used by both the Village and the Town, explore possible new methods, and brainstorm how to improve overall public engagement. The forum was hosted by the Essex Governance Group (EGG), a project supported by the Town of Essex, Heart & Soul of Essex, and the Orton Family Foundation
The forum was the next step in a six-month process that was initiated in the summer, when Budget to Ballot (B2B)—a group of residents concerned about low turnout at Town and Village annual meetings—approached the Town Selectboard and Village Trustees about moving budget approval from the traditional Town/Village Meeting format to Australian ballot (ballot-box voting).
Now coming together, along with other interested citizens, as the Essex Governance Group, the group’s collective goal was to research and analyze residents’ feelings and practices around voting and public engagement, research voting methods used in other communities, and explore additional ways to improve citizen participation.
After a series of meetings to determine the scope of the project and the voting methods to be researched, the group issued an online survey during October. Over 450 residents of Essex Town and Village participated in the survey, and provided a great deal of information about current voting and civic engagement in Essex.
At the Dine & Discuss event, EGG members shared and discussed the results of the community survey. Led by facilitators Susan Clark and Susan McCormack, the group learned about current governance in the Town and the Village, and then spent time weighing the benefits and challenges of four different voting methods: Town Meeting and Australian Ballot, which are currently in use in Essex; Representative Town Meeting, which is used in Brattleboro, VT and in Massachusetts; and a Meeting- Ballot Hybrid approach used in New Hampshire called SB2.
The group has compiled and analyzed the large amount of feedback residents provided at the forum. The survey data, forum feedback, and research on various voting methods are included in the report submitted to the Selectboard, Village Trustees, and public on February 23rd. In that report the group made recommendations for how both municipalities can increase citizen participation and transparency, as well as specific recommendations for organizing the Town and Village’s voting opportunities for maximum citizen participation.
For more information and graphics click on the links below:
This project is being funded by a grant from the Orton Family Foundation and the Town of Essex. For more information, please contact Heart and Soul of Essex.
The Essex Governance Group is a diverse group of local leaders and residents that has been working together since August to engage Essex citizens in a conversation about ways we can continue to improve civic engagement and governance. We hope this conversation will lead to:
- More creativity and civic leadership
- More knowledge (more informed voters/more informed leaders)
- More engagement and voting opportunities
- More collaboration and efficiency/simplicity
We have learned that:
- Under 2 % of our community attended town/village meeting last year
- Under 14 % of registered voters voted in the last local elections
- In a typical year, in order to participate in every Local, State and National vote, an Essex Town resident needs to vote 4 different times, a Village resident 5 times.
- Our elected officials, board and commission members, and town meeting participants, do not reflect the growing ethnic diversity of our community.
- 456 people responded to an on-line and paper survey that asked questions about how people engage in their community and what barriers exist that keep people from participating.
Essex Explores Voting Possibilities and Civic Engagement
Town and Village residents, concerned citizens, elected officials, and young and
old, turned out at Essex High School on Saturday Nov. 8 for “Dine & Discuss: Essex Democracy and You,” a forum about how the Essex community votes and how to increase citizen participation.
In lively small-group discussions, about 60 people worked together to discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by the current voting methods used by both the Village and the Town, explore possible new methods, and brainstorm how to improve overall public engagement. The forum was hosted by the Essex Governance Group (EGG), a project supported by the Town of Essex, Heart & Soul of Essex, and the Orton Family Foundation
The forum was the next step in a six-month process that was initiated in the summer, when Budget to Ballot (B2B)—a group of residents concerned about low turnout at Town and Village annual meetings—approached the Town Selectboard and Village Trustees about moving budget approval from the traditional Town/Village Meeting format to Australian ballot (ballot-box voting).
Now coming together, along with other interested citizens, as the Essex Governance Group, the group’s collective goal was to research and analyze residents’ feelings and practices around voting and public engagement, research voting methods used in other communities, and explore additional ways to improve citizen participation.
After a series of meetings to determine the scope of the project and the voting methods to be researched, the group issued an online survey during October. Over 450 residents of Essex Town and Village participated in the survey, and provided a great deal of information about current voting and civic engagement in Essex.
At the Dine & Discuss event, EGG members shared and discussed the results of the community survey. Led by facilitators Susan Clark and Susan McCormack, the group learned about current governance in the Town and the Village, and then spent time weighing the benefits and challenges of four different voting methods: Town Meeting and Australian Ballot, which are currently in use in Essex; Representative Town Meeting, which is used in Brattleboro, VT and in Massachusetts; and a Meeting- Ballot Hybrid approach used in New Hampshire called SB2.
The group has compiled and analyzed the large amount of feedback residents provided at the forum. The survey data, forum feedback, and research on various voting methods are included in the report submitted to the Selectboard, Village Trustees, and public on February 23rd. In that report the group made recommendations for how both municipalities can increase citizen participation and transparency, as well as specific recommendations for organizing the Town and Village’s voting opportunities for maximum citizen participation.
For more information and graphics click on the links below:
- FINAL REPORT
- EGG survey results
- Infographic on how Essex and Essex Junction are governed
- Infographic on how Essex and Essex Junction currently vote
This project is being funded by a grant from the Orton Family Foundation and the Town of Essex. For more information, please contact Heart and Soul of Essex.