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Andover MA Town Governance resident feedback analysis
- 5. 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 Increase participation Equalize representation No requirement for physical vote (or participation) Leverage Technology Increase Efficiency Having the ability to vote directly is important Better, more Transparent Information Have Time to Digest Information in Advance Increase Education / Marketing What are Andover residents saying in December 2020 / January 2021? 27 out of the 41 people (66%) that gave feedback highlighted difficulty in participating in Andover’s current government
- 7. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 “Do you have any suggestions on how the Town of Andover could improve the conduct of its Town Meetings?” response from 2019 Town of Andover Survey 99 out of the 314 suggestions (32%) was to abolish / change structure of Town Meeting 71 out of the 314 suggestions (23%) was to have remote attendance / voting / online voting
- 8. 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 “Could you please tell us why you have not attended any Andover Town Meetings within the last three years?” response from 2019 Town of Andover Survey 130 out of the 288 reasons (45%) were too busy / no time / kids at home / work conflicts / etc
Editor's Notes
- Crazy Excel Spreadsheet available to review.
- See the Town Governance Citizen Feedback Analysis excel spreadsheet for all the gory detail When mapped to the UMASS Lowell Survey – there are great similarities, even with that survey being heavily weighted by citizens currently attending Town Meetings, which I believe is not a representative eligible voter sample.
- See: Town of Andover Survey 2019 Andover 2019 Report
- Questions on 2019 Town of Andover Survey Umass Lowell Center for Public Opinion of 1,004 responses: “Have you attended any Andover Annual or Special Town Meetings within the last three years?” (Yes / No) - If Yes, “Do you have any suggestions on how the Town of Andover could improve the conduct of its Town Meetings?” - If No, “Could you please tell us why you have not attended any Andover Town Meetings within the last three years?” It should be noted that the survey results of this sample size claim to have 34% of the respondents attend a Town Meeting (the reality of attendance is 1-2%) and only 18% not voting in any elections in the last 12 months. (Based on 2020 elections (which did have record turn outs) and assumptions about voting age, it may be more like 23%) https://andoverma.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1439 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/andovertownessexcountymassachusetts ) – so, there is significant tilt in already active participation in this survey of people that are already engaged in Town Meetings, which is not representative of reality for potential participants in town. There are also more active voters than not.
- Questions on 2019 Town of Andover Survey Umass Lowell Center for Public Opinion: “Have you attended any Andover Annual or Special Town Meetings within the last three years?” (Yes / No) - If Yes, “Do you have any suggestions on how the Town of Andover could improve the conduct of its Town Meetings?” - If No, “Could you please tell us why you have not attended any Andover Town Meetings within the last three years?” It should be noted that the survey results of this sample size claim to have 34% of the respondents attend a Town Meeting (the reality of attendance is 1-2%) and only 18% not voting in any elections in the last 12 months. (Based on 2020 elections (which did have record turn outs) and assumptions about voting age, it may be more like 23%) https://andoverma.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/1439 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/andovertownessexcountymassachusetts ) – so, there is significant tilt in already active participation in this survey of people that are already engaged in Town Meetings, which is not representative of reality for potential participants in town. There are also more active voters than not.
- What is a good participation metric goal to target? 14%? Higher? Is 2 weeks before a vote too much / too little time? Possible?
- When we have an approved article, it should be posted on the website. The article should have an owner name with the preferred way to outreach to the individual if a resident has questions (e.g., email, phone, social media, carrier pidgeon) When Selectmen or committees vote, it should be posted on the website w/ references to minutes and video We should facilitate somehow online tool(s) to allow residents to provide feedback publicly on an article. (I would want name and address to be a requirement to participate to validate a resident and keep trolls out) We should allow people to subscribe to any article if there are any changes that occur
- We should have educational tools to get residents to understand how our government works, how to engage, where to go, what they have to put on their calendar. Videos, links, and a resource to contact are pertinent.