Town meetings might look a bit different in Wiscasset's future.

The Wiscasset Board of Selectmen voted, 4-1 March 4 to switch from secret ballot voting to an open town meeting format.

While some things will still be voted for in secret (selectmen, members of the water district, among others) most of the meeting will be an open format.

After years of confusion about budgets that were either voted up or down, residents can now ask questions and inquire about what they are voting on, Board Chairman Ed Polewarcyzk said.

Selectman Pam Dunning said she was sick of people coming to her after votes had been cast and the budget passed and berating her about not posting the meetings. She said it's up to the voters, not the selectmen, to find out when votes will be cast.

“You cannot say the board of selectmen doesn't get information out there,” she said. “The answer is to watch the meetings (on LCTV), go on the Internet, read the paper. Figure it out.”

One of the reasons behind the switch was the low voter turnout numbers Wiscasset has had in the past, Polewarcyzk said.

“We had the best voter turnout we've had in a long time last September (for the withdrawal vote),” he said. “Then what? We went back to low numbers (to select the school board).”

Several people spoke out against allowing the open format, with some saying the past format wasn't perfect but its all-day voting allowed some who wouldn't otherwise have a voted a chance to cast ballots.

Richard Hanson said there was a reason the town went to a secret ballot format several years ago. He said the town could actually lose voter participation if the meeting was open.

“The secret ballot took away intimidation and special interests,” he said. “I think we need to find a different solution.”