[[{“value”:”
WINDSOR — Windsor’s special mail-in election so far has only received about a 6% turnout, with a week left to turn in ballots.
Ballots — to determine if Windsor will allow retail marijuana establishments in town and approve a host of changes affecting candidacies for mayor and town council members — are due Feb. 18.
Recreational marijuana has been banned in Windsor for a little more than a decade. The town received a citizen’s initiative petition last August with 1,926 valid signatures. But the timing of the petition required a special election, the first available date for which was Feb. 18. The Windsor Town Board had the option to either adopt an ordinance permitting adult-use marijuana sales or put the question on the ballot in a special election. A yes vote would allow cultivation, testing, manufacturing and retail sale of marijuana.
SPONSORED CONTENT
The town board voted unanimously to let the voters decide.
The 6% of the vote turned in so far is around 100 votes less than the petition signatures sent in to force the special election in the first place.
The last special election in April 2024 cost the town about $75,000 and drew a 27% turnout, said Karen Frawley, Windsor’s town clerk. That election was to determine the mayor and town board members.
Windsor has had a tumultuous history with medical marijuana, at one time having three such businesses in town. Town residents, however, banned sales of the substance in 2013.
This election, however, is not just about marijuana. The town board forwarded eight charter amendments to the ballot that will change who can run for a board or mayoral seat, change sitting terms for the board and mayor, change procedures to require a super-majority on the board to pass an ordinance, and give 30 days for ordinances to take effect, giving citizens time to initiate a referendum to the municipality. There also is a question on the ballot allowing the clerk to conduct background checks on board members whether they are elected or appointed, and changing the redistricting timeframes.Ballots should be turned in by 7 p.m. on Feb. 18 inside Windsor Town Hall, 301 Walnut St., or at the Community Recreation Center, 250 N. 11th St., in the 24-hour ballot drop box outside the center.
“}]] Windsor’s special mail-in election so far has only received about a 6% turnout, with a week left to turn in ballots. Read More
