Town Meeting:When and Where

Article 1 of the Annual Town Meeting Warrant is reserved for the election of Town officials. Thus, the first session of the Annual Town Meeting is the Town election, and everyone who votes in the annual Town election is actually participating in Town Meeting.

Lexington's General By-laws call for the election to be held annually on the first Monday in March. By State law, in years when there is a Presidential primary, the election may be held on the same day as the National election. The polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 8:00 p.m.

The date of the second session (the first deliberative session) of the Annual Town Meeting is determined by the Selectmen and is specified in the Warrant. It is customarily held on a Monday or Wednesday two or three weeks after the election. Subsequent sessions are usually held on the following Wednesdays and Mondays, except for school vacation week and religious holidays, until a final vote has been taken on each article on the Warrant.

Special Town Meetings may be held at other times by order of the Selectmen or upon petition of 200 registered voters. With the required public notice, Special Town Meetings may be held during a formal recess of the Annual Town Meeting. This may be necessary in order to expedite action on an appropriation requested during the Special Town Meeting. Town Meeting deliberative sessions are normally held in Battin Hall in the Cary Memorial Building, but may be held any place in Lexington or simultaneously in more than one place as long as communication between the sites is available. Sessions begin promptly at the time designated in the Warrant. Town Meeting Members are expected to check in with staff from the Town Clerk's office to receive their electronic vote recording devices. It is recommended that members arrive early enough to check in and obtain informational material pertinent to the session. This material is left on the Town Meeting Members Association tables in the lobby. It is also available to visitors. Since 1973 Town Meeting Members have sat by precinct. The floor of the hall is divided into nine blocks of seats. Precinct blocks rotate from back to front at successive sessions. This arrangement makes it easy for observers to identify their precinct representatives.