Law Would Mandate Use of Voting Machines in Statewide Elections
April 21, 2011, page 7.....

Representative Mike Yantachka notified the Selectboard via e-mail of a bill H.298 that will require municipalities with more than 1,000 registered voters to use tabulating machines for statewide ballots. The state would pay for the machines, for the training on their use, for the annual maintenance, and for half of the reprogramming costs associated with the election.
Yantachka said he would offer an amendment on the floor to allow a town to opt out of using the machines if the municipal government chooses. At Town Meeting this year, Charlotte voters turned down an advisory motion to use counting machines.

Postscript: Yantachka's amendment was voted down by a large margin in the House, and the bill is going to the Senate for consideration.

After the statewide election in November 2010, over 50 Charlotte residents gathered in the CCS cafeteria to count the approximately 2,700 ballots. Town Clerk Mary Mead and Assistant Town Clerk Sharron Balaban completed the tabulations at about 2 a.m. the next morning.