Current:Home > FinanceIn images: New England’s ‘Town Meeting’ tradition gives people a direct role in local democracy -Dynamic Wealth Solutions
In images: New England’s ‘Town Meeting’ tradition gives people a direct role in local democracy
View
Date:2025-04-12 14:53:58
WHAT: Town Meeting is a New England tradition that dates back more than 250 years. It offers people a chance to get directly involved in local democracy. One day each year, townsfolk gather to hash out local issues, such as whether to buy a new firetruck or donate some money to the local food pantry.
WHY: Town meetings give residents a chance to talk, listen, debate and vote. Many people who attend town meetings say the tone is refreshingly civil when compared with the nastiness of national politics because people are debating issues with their neighbors face-to-face.
HOW: In Vermont, town meetings are traditionally held on the first Tuesday in March and in some towns, like Elmore, people sit down together afterwards for a potluck lunch.
WHAT’S NEW: The tradition is under threat, with many people feeling they don’t have the time or ability to attend. Many towns in Vermont have elected to move to a secret ballot system similar to the system used in national elections.
IN IMAGES: Here’s an Associated Press photo gallery from two town meetings in Vermont.
___
The AP receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about AP’s democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Meet first time Grammy nominee Charley Crockett
- Rail workers never stopped fighting for paid sick days. Now persistence is paying off
- Louis Tomlinson Devastated After Concertgoers Are Hospitalized Amid Hailstorm
- How Some Dealerships Use 'Yo-yo Car Sales' To Take Buyers For A Ride
- Google unveils a quantum chip. Could it help unlock the universe's deepest secrets?
- Inside Clean Energy: The New Hummer Is Big and Bad and Runs on Electricity
- Gabby Douglas, 3-time Olympic gold medalist, announces gymnastics comeback: Let's do this
- Fossil Fuel Companies Took Billions in U.S. Coronavirus Relief Funds but Still Cut Nearly 60,000 Jobs
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Tesla recalls nearly 363,000 cars with 'Full Self-Driving' to fix flaws in behavior
Ranking
- Trump invites nearly all federal workers to quit now, get paid through September
- Appeals court rejects FTC's request to pause Microsoft-Activision deal
- ESPYS 2023: See the Complete List of Nominees
- Why Kelly Clarkson Is “Hesitant” to Date After Brandon Blackstock Divorce
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- Russia increasing unprofessional activity against U.S. forces in Syria
- A deal's a deal...unless it's a 'yo-yo' car sale
- Missing Sub Passenger Stockton Rush's Titanic Connection Will Give You Chills
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Hi Hi!
After courtroom outburst, Florida music teacher sentenced to 6 years in prison for Jan. 6 felonies
Lisa Marie Presley died of small bowel obstruction, medical examiner says
What does the Adani Group's crash mean for India's economy?
'Malcolm in the Middle’ to return with new episodes featuring Frankie Muniz
Missing Titanic Submersible Passes Oxygen Deadline Amid Massive Search
Louis Tomlinson Devastated After Concertgoers Are Hospitalized Amid Hailstorm
The EPA Calls an Old Creosote Works in Pensacola an Uncontrolled Threat to Human Health. Why Is There No Money to Clean it Up?