["Calling the Question"] The Politics of Time in a Time of Polarized Politics

In this paper, the authors examine the role of time in shaping decision-making processes in a town meeting, a type of legislative body that is common in many New England towns. Town meetings are one of the oldest and most democratic institutions of local governance in the US, and they provide a rich arena in which to investigate how large groups of people convene and make decisions together. The authors analyze the tensions between democratic values of "taking time" vs. "being efficient." The dynamics are particularly compelling because of an absence of the typical two parties that dominate US political culture. Attitudes toward time closely aligned with voting behaviors. The study concludes that, even in the context of a culturally and economically homogenous New England town-meeting membership, orientations to temporality are contested and meaningful. Situated historically, these orientations reflect citizens' embrace or rejection of "time-thrift" and suggest implications for participatory democracy.