The town of Hopkinton has seen how opening access to voting during this pandemic has increased voting on the school budget from the usual abysmal numbers of 200 to 500 votes to first 1,400 and then beyond 1,700. Now that the town of Hopkinton has the opportunity to enact SB 2, allowing all registered voters a robust opportunity to vote, there are those who wish to remain in the past.
There was a time when residents could only receive and discuss town issues during a designated meeting time. Today, residents no longer need to sit through long hours of oratory in order to understand the issues. Information concerning budgets and warrants are readily available to the public, allowing them to review the material long before the town meeting date. Requiring many to take time off from work in order to vote equates to a poll tax. Expecting those with health issues to sit through these long meetings is needless. Enacting SB 2 will still allow people to congregate once a year to discuss town of Hopkinton issues prior to voting, but residents will no longer be forced to do so in order to vote.
Please Hopkinton, do not suppress your neighbor’s voice. Everyone has a right to their voice through their vote, even if it is contrary to your voice and your vote.
LAURA Z. MORGAN
Hopkinton