Shutesbury Holds Clicker Demonstration Ahead of Potential Annual Town Meeting Vote

SHUTESBURY -- March 7, 2026, Shutesbury voters attended a public demonstration of electronic voting clickers Saturday as the town weighs a $5,730 first-year purchase that could change how annual town meetings are conducted. Town Moderator Nettie Harrington-Pangallo organized the session at Shutesbury Elementary School, bringing in former moderators and clerks from Long Meadow, Amherst, and Broughton to describe their experiences. Long Meadow Moderator Rebecca Townsend said her town's meetings, which once ran past midnight, now typically end by 9 or 9:30 p.m. with clickers. Former Shutesbury Town Clerk Grace Nunez said the current hand-count system requires six staff members per meeting versus two with clickers, with annual labor costs running $1,500 to $2,000 and potentially doubling for contentious meetings. The package, offered at roughly one-third of market rate through a trade-in deal with Option Technologies Incorporated, would cost $495 per year after the first year. The Capital Planning Committee is scheduled to vote the following Tuesday on whether to include the clicker purchase in this spring's annual town meeting warrant.