Name: Janet Kern
Office Sought: Town Meeting Member Precinct 1
e-mail address: kern.janet [at] gmail.commichaelschanbacherlexpb [at] gmail.com (
)phone number: 781-861-7102

Community Activities: 

• Town Meeting Member, 2010 – 2018; 2021-present
• LexFarm Co-Founder, former Board Member, current active volunteer.
• LexZeroWaste Treasurer and Vice-President
• Town of Lexington Zero Waste Plan Task Force Member

Article 43 on the 2024 Town Warrant is asking if the Town will authorize and request the Select Board to petition the General Court of the Commonwealth for Home Rule Legislation to allow any citizens in the Town of Lexington, who have reached the age of 16 or older, to register and vote in municipal elections within the Town, or to take any action in relative thereto. Would you support this article? Why or why not?

I strongly support this article because it would benefit both our youth population and the town at large.

Our town will benefit from having more educated voters and voices in the electorate.

With voter turnout consistently low for local elections, we need more engagement and voting. Thanks to our exceptional public school system, we boast a highly educated high school youth population. Drawing more voters from this population means that we will have even more educated voices and voters in the electorate in Lexington. This will in turn translate to a stronger town government, as elected officials would now need to be responsive to an even broader, more diverse voter population.

Our youth will benefit from having a voice and vote for the issues they care about.

Whether it is a particular candidate they support or a town-wide referendum they care about, having the ability to express their views as a voter in Lexington means being counted and valued in their home community. The opportunity to engage now, and be valued now when in high school, will provide experience and a meaningful foundation for civic engagement that will serve them for a lifetime.