MassVoter.com← Local VotesVote Transparency Score
How We Score Town Vote Transparency
Your city council or select board votes on taxes, schools, roads and more. You have a right to know how each member voted. The Vote Transparency Score shows how easy each city and town makes that to see online. The score is out of 10, and every community is scored the same way.How easy each city and town makes it to see, online, how its board votes. Out of 10, same rules for everyone.
Leaderboard
159 boards scored · Checked Oct 12, 2026 · Higher means it’s easier to see how members vote. Tap a board for its full score card.
MaldenCity CouncilOpenMelroseCity CouncilOpenWellesleySelect BoardOpenEastonSelect BoardOpenSomervilleCity CouncilOpenBarnstableTown CouncilOpenBostonCity CouncilOpenBrooklineSelect BoardOpenCambridgeCity CouncilOpenFoxboroughSelect BoardOpenFraminghamCity CouncilOpenLittletonSelect BoardOpenLowellCity CouncilOpenMashpeeSelect BoardOpenNorth ReadingSelect BoardOpenPlymouthSelect BoardOpenRandolphTown CouncilOpenSherbornSelect BoardOpenSomersetBoard of SelectmenOpenWatertownCity CouncilOpenWaylandSelect BoardOpenWest TisburySelect BoardOpenActonSelect BoardMostly openChelmsfordSelect BoardMostly openGrotonSelect BoardMostly openHinghamSelect BoardMostly openMedwaySelect BoardMostly openSharonSelect BoardMostly openArlingtonSelect BoardMostly openCarlisleSelect BoardMostly openChelseaCity CouncilMostly openConcordSelect BoardMostly openDunstableSelect BoardMostly openFall RiverCity CouncilMostly openFreetownBoard of SelectmenMostly openHopkintonSelect BoardMostly openMiddleboroughSelect BoardMostly openNantucketSelect BoardMostly openNeedhamSelect BoardMostly openOak BluffsSelect BoardMostly openPepperellSelect BoardMostly openRaynhamSelect BoardMostly openReadingSelect BoardMostly openRevereCity CouncilMostly openSudburySelect BoardMostly openWalpoleSelect BoardMostly openWalthamCity CouncilMostly openWest BridgewaterBoard of SelectmenMostly openWestonSelect BoardMostly openWinchesterSelect BoardMostly openWrenthamSelect BoardMostly openBoxboroughSelect BoardMostly openBridgewaterTown CouncilMostly openDennisSelect BoardMostly openKingstonBoard of SelectmenMostly openNewtonCity CouncilMostly openRocklandSelect BoardMostly openAshbySelectboardMostly openBedfordSelect BoardMostly openBellinghamSelect BoardMostly openBelmontSelect BoardMostly openBillericaSelect BoardMostly openBraintreeTown CouncilMostly openCantonSelect BoardMostly openCarverSelect BoardMostly openChathamSelect BoardMostly openCohassetSelect BoardMostly openDracutBoard of SelectmenMostly openDuxburySelect BoardMostly openFairhavenSelect BoardMostly openFall RiverSchool CommitteeMostly openFranklinTown CouncilMostly openHalifaxBoard of SelectmenMostly openHudsonSelect BoardMostly openLexingtonSelect BoardMostly openMarlboroughCity CouncilMostly openMarshfieldSelect BoardMostly openMedfieldSelect BoardMostly openMiltonSelect BoardMostly openNorwellSelect BoardMostly openNorwoodBoard of SelectmenMostly openPlainvilleSelect BoardMostly openProvincetownSelect BoardMostly openQuincyCity CouncilMostly openRochesterSelect BoardMostly openScituateSelect BoardMostly openSeekonkSelect BoardMostly openStowSelect BoardMostly openTauntonMunicipal CouncilMostly openTownsendSelect BoardMostly openTyngsboroughSelect BoardMostly openWakefieldTown CouncilMostly openWarehamSelect BoardMostly openWestfordSelect BoardMostly openWhitmanSelect BoardMostly openWinthropTown CouncilMostly openWoburnCity CouncilMostly openAbingtonSelect BoardPartly openBrewsterSelect BoardPartly openEverettCity CouncilPartly openMedfordCity CouncilPartly openNew BedfordCity CouncilPartly openRehobothBoard of SelectmenPartly openStonehamSelect BoardPartly openAvonSelect BoardPartly openAyerSelect BoardPartly openBerkleyBoard of SelectmenPartly openBrocktonCity CouncilPartly openChilmarkSelect BoardPartly openDightonBoard of SelectmenPartly openDoverBoard of SelectmenPartly openEast BridgewaterSelect BoardPartly openEasthamSelect BoardPartly openFalmouthSelect BoardPartly openHanoverSelect BoardPartly openHarwichSelect BoardPartly openHullSelect BoardPartly openLincolnSelect BoardPartly openMaynardSelect BoardPartly openMillisSelect BoardPartly openNorfolkSelect BoardPartly openNorth AttleboroughTown CouncilPartly openOrleansSelect BoardPartly openPlymptonBoard of SelectmenPartly openSwanseaBoard of SelectmenPartly openTewksburySelect BoardPartly openTruroSelect BoardPartly openWellfleetSelectboardPartly openWestportSelect BoardPartly openWestwoodSelect BoardPartly openWeymouthTown CouncilPartly openStoughtonSelect BoardPartly openAshlandSelect BoardPartly openAttleboroMunicipal CouncilPartly openBourneSelect BoardPartly openBurlingtonSelect BoardPartly openDartmouthSelect BoardPartly openHolbrookSelect BoardPartly openHollistonSelect BoardPartly openMansfieldSelect BoardPartly openMarionSelect BoardPartly openNantucketSchool CommitteePartly openNatickSelect BoardPartly openShirleySelect BoardPartly openTisburySelect BoardPartly openWilmingtonSelect BoardPartly openNew BedfordSchool CommitteeHard to seePembrokeSelect BoardHard to seeYarmouthSelect BoardHard to seeAquinnahSelect BoardHard to seeEdgartownSelectboardHard to seeHansonSelect BoardHard to seeLakevilleSelect BoardHard to seeSandwichSelect BoardHard to seeDedhamSelect BoardHard to seeGosnoldSelectboardHard to seeNortonSelect BoardHard to seeAcushnetBoard of SelectmenNot onlineMattapoisettSelect BoardNot online
No scored board matches. Try another spelling, or find your town on Local Votes.
Each bar shows the six checks, left to right: Posted · Named · Speed · Years · Text · Photos.
How the score works
What we score
| What we check | Points | How points are given |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes are posted online | 2 | 2 = minutes for nearly every meeting in the past year. 1 = some meetings. 0 = none, or you must sign in to see them. |
| Each member’s vote is named | 3 | 3 = the minutes say how every member voted on split votes. 2 = they name only the members who voted no. 1 = names appear sometimes. 0 = vote counts only (like “3–2”). |
| Minutes go up quickly | 2 | 2 = usually within 30 days of the meeting. 1 = within 90 days. 0 = longer. |
| Past years are online | 1 | 1 = five or more years of minutes are online. 0 = fewer. |
| Minutes are readable text | 1 | 1 = you can search and copy the text. 0 = scanned images only. |
| You can see who’s on the board | 1 | 1 = the town website shows a photo of each member. 0.5 = a group photo of the members, with every member named in the caption or on the same page. 0 = names only, or no list. |
| Total | 10 |
What the score means
| Score | Label |
|---|---|
| 9–10 | Open |
| 7–8 | Mostly open |
| 5–6 | Partly open |
| 3–4 | Hard to see |
| 0–2 | Not online |
Why a town didn’t get 10
Every town’s score card lists each point it missed, why it missed it, and how to earn it back.
How a town can raise its score
Most of these steps are free and take only a few minutes per meeting.
| To earn points for | What to do |
|---|---|
| Minutes are posted online (+2) | Post approved minutes for every meeting on the town website. Don’t require a sign-in to view them. |
| Each member’s vote is named (+3) | On any vote that isn’t unanimous, write how each member voted. For example: “Motion passed 3–2. Yes: Smith, Jones, Lee. No: Brown, Silva.” A roll call on split votes is the simplest way to do this. |
| Minutes go up quickly (+2) | Post minutes within 30 days. If approval takes longer, post a draft marked “Draft – not yet approved” and replace it later. |
| Past years are online (+1) | Keep at least five years of minutes online. When the website changes, move the old files instead of deleting them. |
| Minutes are readable text (+1) | Save minutes straight from Word or Google Docs as a PDF instead of printing and scanning them. If a scan is needed, turn on the scanner’s “searchable PDF” or text-recognition setting. |
| You can see who’s on the board (+1) | Show a photo of each member on the board’s web page, with their name, the date their term ends and how to contact them. A group photo of the members, with everyone named in the caption or on the same page, earns half a point. |
When a town makes a change, it can tell us and we’ll re-check right away (see below).
What the score is not
- It is not a grade of how well a town is run, or of any official or party.
- It does not measure whether a town follows the Open Meeting Law. It only measures what a voter can find online.
- A low score often reflects a small staff or an old website, not secrecy.
How we check
- We look only at the town’s official website and the public records posted there.
- We check the main board: the city council, town council or select board. We also score school committees the same way, with three rules: only full-committee meetings count for posting and speed (not subcommittees); the Mayor counts as a member where the Mayor chairs the committee; and any official place the district names counts, such as a minutes folder it links from its website.
- Each score shows the date we checked it. We re-check every town at least every six months.
Something wrong, or made a change? Tell us
Town clerks and residents can email info@massvoter.com. Include a link to the records. We’ll re-check and update the score, usually within a week.