Newcastle has tried it. Damariscotta, too. Now Wiscasset may try voting with hand-held keypads at town meeting on May 31.

The voting method could address one of the concerns some residents have raised about deciding the budget at an open town meeting: the loss of secrecy in voting.

It would still allow for the item-by-item discussions that selectmen said could help voters understand what they're voting on.

“So in a sense it's the best of both worlds,” Town Clerk Christine Wolfe said about using the keypads.

If selectmen go with the plan, Friends of Midcoast Maine would provide Wiscasset with 300 of the devices for the day. The $1,020 cost also covers Friends' executive director Jane Lafleur's time at the town meeting.

But if there aren't enough machines to go around on town meeting day, none can be used, Interim Town Manager Don Gerrish said.

It was not yet certain that more are available, Lafleur said March 24. She was looking for more from other sources.

If turnout for town meeting exceeds the number of machines, the town's tab would drop from the $1,020 to somewhere around $100, Lafleur said.

Selectmen plan to see a demonstration of the device at their April 1 board meeting.

Damariscotta and Newcastle officials said the keypads have gone over well at town meetings in those towns.

Some glitches have occurred, requiring residents to cast their votes again on those items, Damariscotta Town Manager Matt Lutkus said. “But folks overlooked those (glitches), because it's still better than having to raise their hands to vote,” he said.

“They still have the opportunity to speak, but then when it comes to voting, there wasn't pressure on them to vote one way or another,” Lutkus said.

“They're great,” Newcastle interim town administrator Lynn Maloney said about the devices.

In addition to concerns over a loss of secrecy due to the switch to a town meeting, some Wiscasset residents have also cited a non-binding vote held years ago, showing the town wanted to decide the budget at the polls; and they have cited the loss of absentee voting. People who can’t get to the town meeting, due to work or other reasons, won't get to vote, town meeting detractors have said.

Selectmen heard those concerns March 18 before they set the town meeting for 9 a.m. May 31 at the Wiscasset Community Center. A town meeting is the only way Selectmen's Chairman Ed Polewarczyk said he knew of to ensure people understand what they're voting on.

Selectman Judy Colby continued to oppose holding the town meeting.