Sal Carceller, a leading voice for Charter change in Portsmouth, sent me this letter, and I'm delighted to have the opportunity to share this:

Portsmouth Residents Call to Action

Get out and vote on November 6th!

I was in attendance at the Portsmouth 'Town Tent Meeting' held on Sat. Aug. 19th 2006. It was very clear that the process for managing the meeting needed to be changed. If you are a Portsmouth resident and would like to vote in a booth rather than a tent, here is your chance to make a difference. On November 6th you will have the opportunity to amend the Portsmouth Town Charter. The charter will not get changed without your participation. Get out and VOTE!

Since that tent meeting, several hundred Portsmouth residents have supported the proposed Charter change. The new change will insure that all residents have the opportunity to vote utilizing a fair, anonymous, and informed voting process.

The newly drafted charter provision will repair 3 main flaws with the current "Tent Meeting" process. They are:

Give every resident the right to vote. Currently the process for voting on motions within Town Tent Meeting has no provision to allow absentee ballot for residents not capable of attending the meeting.

Give every resident the right to vote anonymously. The subject matter being voted on is of such nature that some residents hesitate to vote publicly their true sentiments.

Allow residents the right to an informed vote. Since motions proposed at the meeting are financial in nature, give ample time for Town Council, School Committee, or any other interested party to convey consequences of voting ‘for’ or ‘against’ any motion proposed. Very often doing an analysis of this nature could take days.

The newly proposed Charter Provision was carefully drafted to resolve the 3 core issues mentioned above. It was made possible with the participation of hundreds of Portsmouth residents and the support of 6 of the 7 Town Council members, who voted to place this before the voters on Nov 6th.

For more details on the complete Charter Proposal as well as the current charter sections being changed please visit: http://members.cox.net/vote/

On Nov 6th get out to the voting booth and help preserve your right to vote in a booth rather than a tent.
 
Salvador Carceller Jr
Portsmouth