Local Elections Matter: Brookline Town Election May 3rd

If you don’t vote, you lose the right to complain. -George Carlin

Brookline votes, but not nearly enough in local elections! In the May 2021 annual town election the voter turnout was 18.7 percent, while the Brookline presidential election in 2020 garnered 74 percent. Voting locally has a direct impact on your life, so why not vote?

Our local elected officials set policy, priorities and budgets for much that affects our daily lives, our quality of life ... from school funding to law enforcement, affordable housing, zoning, environmental protection, parks and open space, marijuana laws, liquor licenses. And the list goes on.

As a resident, and potential or actual voter, you might ask yourself: Why are things the way they are? Who makes these decisions? How would things be better if I had a voice in making these decisions?

You do have a voice – if you vote. At a recent League of Women Voters Friday Discussion, Brookline's Town Clerk, Ben Kaufman, provided an update on the May 3rd town election.

This election is a big one for the town, due to the 2020 US census results and subsequent precinct boundary changes. All representative town meeting member (TMM) positions are on the ballot May 3rd, except for Precinct 16, with a total of 319 candidates for 246 seats. (On the ballot also are one Select Board seat for three years; four Trustees of the Public Library seats for three years and one for one year; three School Committee seats for three years and one for two years; and five Constable seats for three years.)

Why have our precincts changed? Brookline grew between 2010 and 2020 by over four thousand people, resulting in redistricting that affects all but one of Brookline’s former 16 precincts. Since state law requires that each precinct in a town contain nearly an equal number of inhabitants, but not more than four thousand, Brookline had to add one additional precinct and readjust the other boundaries.

As a result, all precincts (except Precinct 16) had their borders altered, and the new precinct – Precinct 17 - was added in the middle of Coolidge Corner. In addition, the redistricting committee worked hard to create two majority/minority precincts, based on specific demographic terms from the Census bureau where less than 50% of residents identified as “White alone, not Hispanic or Latino”. These are now Precincts 2 & 4, providing the opportunity for and possibility of expanded participation in town government. Because of boundary changes, some polling locations also changed.

As a result of direct outreach, encouragement and support, Precinct 4 includes some TMM candidates who are either people of color, first-generation immigrants, residents of public housing, and/or non-native English speakers, potentially fulfilling the intent of the creation of majority/minority districts. Precinct 2 has just two candidates identifying as underrepresented groups, which this time around may not be sufficient to fulfill that intent.

Here’s how it will work May 3rd. Since all town meeting member positions are on the ballot, the top five winners in each precinct will hold their positions for three years; the next five for two years; the following five for one year – then, we will return to the regular sequence of five TMM positions open every year. Precinct 16, having no boundary changes, will be voting on May 3rd for the usual five TMM positions for three years as well as one position for two years.

You can find the new precinct maps, in effect December 31, 2021, as well as your polling location here. Or, enter your address on the Secretary of State’s website for your precinct and voting location. The Brookline Town Census form arrived in your mailbox mid-April, with a tear-off at the bottom indicating your precinct and polling location – easy to tack on to your bulletin board or refrigerator as a reminder to vote!

To help you with your decision making about who to vote for, be sure to utilize the League of Women Voters of Brookline’s Voters Guide to the Brookline Town Election – May 3, 2022, featuring candidate statements and complete voting information for Brookline residents. Available online April 21st, print copies will also be inserted on that date in the Brookline Tab and will be in the Town Hall foyer, at the Brookline Village, Putterham, and Coolidge Corner Libraries, the Senior Center, the Brookline Booksmith and all three Brookline Food Pantry locations.

What if you can’t vote in person May 3rd? COVID-era allowances from the state for expanded in-person early voting and mail in voting have expired, but you may be eligible to vote by traditional absentee ballot. If you request an absentee ballot by mail, the Town Clerk’s office will mail one to you. You must return the ballot by mail, or drop it in the gray Drop Box in front of Town Hall prior to 8:00 pm May 3rd.

The Town Clerk’s office is also offering over-the-counter absentee voting during regular business hours. These hours are 8am-5pm Monday-Thursday; 8am-12:30pm Friday; or special election hours on Saturday, April 23, 10am-1pm; Friday, April 29, 12:30pm-5pm; and Saturday, April 30, 10am-1pm.

Although it is too late to register to vote for the May 3rd election, be sure to register to vote in the MA state primary September 6th and the November 8th MA state election. For all registered voters, keep asking yourself: Why are things the way they are? Who makes these decisions? How would things be better if I had a voice in making these decisions? Your vote is your voice.

Empowering Voters – Defending Democracy: The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that encourages informed discourse and active participation in government and that works to influence public policy through education and advocacy. Find previous Engaged Citizen Corner articles here.