Name: Rita Vachani
Office Sought: Town Meeting Member Precinct 2
e-mail address: rita.vachani [at] gmail.commichaelschanbacherlexpb [at] gmail.com (
)phone number: 781-789-8854

Community Activities: 

• Member, Town Communications Advisory Committee since 2016. (The Committee advises the Select Board and other Town officials on wired and wireless communications services, including Cable Service and LexMedia related matters)

• My husband and I have been Lexington residents for over 30 years; we have 2 children, both of whom were educated in Lexington Public Schools

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 would support this article because, as a Town, we have several significant issues to address, some at a local level and some that are critical for our society: our school system, affordable housing, balancing fiscal priorities, ensuring the Town is welcoming to a diverse community, climate change and environmental concerns, to name a few. How we address these issues will define the kind of Town we will be in the years ahead, and for that, we need the voices of the young voters as they have a key stake in that future vision. At a local level, the 16 and 17 year olds are directly affected by the decisions of the School Committee, and also impacted by the decisions of the other Town wide Boards and Committees, and we will benefit by having their voices at the table. I believe that 16 and 17 year olds are mature enough to make reasoned choices for municipal elections, and that this early civic involvement will help them stay engaged in our democratic processes.