Pure democracy, as exemplified by the traditional New Hampshire Town Meeting, is the most perfect form of government on Earth. Whether it grew out of the Mayflower Compact, ancient Athenian democracy, or the tribal councils of hunter-gatherers 50,000 years ago, its purity and simplicity make it as close to flawless as humans can create.

The town meeting is the legislative body of our New Hampshire communities. Each voter is a legislator with the right to comment, debate and — importantly — amend the articles before the body. They have the right to raise a point of order and, with a majority vote, overrule the moderator and alter the operation of the meeting.

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