Residents gathered at the Lyndon Town School Tuesday evening to vote on a controversial issue that continues to flare. The idea of using an Australian ballot is appealing to many people; it is a way for community members to vote without having to physically attend the meetings.

Some residents have conflicting work schedules and have never had the opportunity to vote. The town of Lyndon currently has just over 3- thousand registered voters, however only 183 attended last year’s town meeting.

With the option of an Australian ballot, residents can fill out their ballot at any time and keep their votes confidential.
Others feel the current method of voting at meetings is just fine.

One member of the Lyndon school board said, “ The meeting was held in May and it was held at night. So the idea that people were never offered the opportunity to vote is not accurate, because it was not only held on town meeting day.”

With both methods considered, the decision to adopt the Australian ballot passed with a 136 to 93 vote.

“ I was really happy that it passed. My job doesn’t allow me time to come and vote during town meeting. I could take time off, but that’s pretty valuable to me too”, said Kent Hall, a Lyndon resident.

The new system will allow an enormous increase in voter participation. The turnout at the meeting made it clear that residents are passionate about their say on issues in the community.

“ The attendance tonight was tremendous, outstanding. It shows a dramatic interest and the numbers of people on both sides who came out”, said Hall.

Even with the Australian ballot, the traditional town meetings will still be held.