Wayland ELVIS Survey Probes Low Town Meeting Turnout

WAYLAND, MA — Attendance at the Wayland 2023 spring Town Meeting was lower than expected, and a town committee is trying to find out why.

Earlier this month, the Wayland Electronic Voting Implementation Subcommittee — also known as ELVIS — launched an anonymous survey seeking feedback from residents about why they didn't end up attending the annual legislative event.

According to ELVIS Chair Dave Bernstein, Town Meeting attendance peaked at 182 members, which is about one-third of the expected turnout. ELVIS launched a survey in April to estimate attendance in order to provide members with electronic voting devices.

Bernstein said attendance may have been down due to a range of factors, from members unable to find child care to low interest. You can respond to the anonymous ELVIS survey here.