Frequently Asked Questions
Can I join BEC?
You sure can! Here is our onboarding form.
What is Town Meeting?
Town Meeting is the 255-person assembly of elected representatives who decide the legislative policies of Brookline. Each year during the Town's May municipal election at least a third of each precinct's Town Meeting seats (5 positions) are on the ballot.
Who are my Town Meeting members? Which precinct am I in?
Your precinct determines who your Town Meeting members are. As of re-precincting last year (following the latest census), Brookline has 17 precincts. You can use the MA Secretary of State's website to look up your precinct and polling place.
Once you know your precinct, you can cross reference that number with who this spreadsheet from the Town [downloads file] lists as your fifteen Town Meeting members.
The town's five-person chief executive body. Each Select Board member is elected by a Town-wide ballot for three year terms. The series is: two seats are up one year; the next year, two different seats are up; the third year, the fifth seat is up; and then the cycle repeats.
Where can I register to vote?
Register to vote on the Massachusetts Secretary of State's website.
What is charter change?
Each municipality has a charter that outlines its local government's powers, functions, fundamental workings, and organization. Should Brookline want to write for itself a new charter — for example, so as to adopt city-style governance — charter change processes exist. Massachusetts state law allows for either an elected charter commission or an appointed charter committee; see the link above for more details on each approach.