Lexington residents have until Wednesday, Sept. 16, to apply for the town's new Local Election Voter Turnout Task Force.

The Select Board pushed the deadline back from its original Aug. 31 cutoff, according to a civic alert the town posted on Wednesday, Sept. 2. The board will appoint seven community members to the panel for three-year terms.

The task force is charged with developing strategies to increase voter participation in Lexington's local elections and identifying barriers that keep residents from casting ballots. The town said the broader aim is to make participation in local elections a stronger civic expectation across the community.

That goal reflects a persistent gap between registration and turnout. LexObserver, a Lexington nonprofit news outlet, posted on X on June 27, 2025, that the vast majority of registered voters sit out local elections despite the town's high registration rate.

The idea for the task force first surfaced at the Select Board's March 16 meeting. Jeri Zeder, chair of the Vision for Lexington Committee, presented a draft charge for the panel and asked the board for feedback. Select Board member Vineeta Kumar volunteered at that meeting to serve as the board's representative on the task force.

The town said it is seeking applicants who represent a range of backgrounds and perspectives across the Lexington community. Residents with different experiences and interests are encouraged to apply.

The Select Board has not announced when it will choose the seven appointees. Applications are available through the town's civic alert page on the Lexington town website. The deadline is Wednesday, Sept. 16.