Bridgewater
Bridgewater is a town in Windsor County, Vermont that boasts a population of 936 people (as of 2010). Based on data collected by an inter-collegial team of students, here are our findings regarding its Town Meeting process.
2018 Town Meeting
Summary of Findings
Bridgewater had an abnormal town meeting this year. It had the lowest participation rate of the towns we studied with just 10.31% of attendees participating, despite a decent attendance rate (coming in 6th of the 35 towns we studied). There was a short debate over the date for tax collection (the day of the week was wrong on the warning), but otherwise people did not discuss the issues much, only taking part in the voting. One of the students who attended to collect data wrote,
“People started to get really frustrated with the microphone cutting in and out. They took out their anger and frustration on the [moderator]. People also kept rolling their eyes but not speaking up on issues. It is interesting because people are angry and have opinions on topics up for debate, but no one would actually speak up…. The lady and her husband next to me were saying how this town meeting was unlike any other. People usually argue and are back and forward. They don’t know if it’s because the town dynamics and demographics have changed, due to the economy or what. Participation just sucked.”
– Shelby Jewett, Student Researcher
Major Data Points
| Year | Peak Attendance | Attendance Rate* | Participation Rate | Real Democracy Score** | Population | Meeting Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 97 | 14.00% | 10.31% | 24.31 | 936 | 1:15 |
| 2011 | 84 | 12.56% | 41.67% | 54.22 | 669 | 1:45 |
| 1997 | 112 | 17.45% | 24.11% | 41.55 | 642 | 2:38 |
| 1986 | 135 | 25.14% | 31.11% | 56.25 | 537 | 2:31 |
| 1984 | 115 | 20.91% | 34.78% | 55.69 | 550 | 2:19 |
*Attendance Rates are calculated using the number of registered voters and peak attendance numbers.
**Real Democracy scores are calculated using attendance and participation numbers. For more infomation on them see the Data Overview Page
Student Involvement
Students help gather data and produce videos on town meeting. Lunch and mileage is paid for.