Letter: Night of the Living Voting Clickers

To the Editor:

I did a little research regarding the proposed Williamstown electronic voting devices and am offering more information than was provided by Selectman Daley.

First: The cost of the devices is $26,000 for 1,000. Williamstown, actually has more poverty than Lanesboro, and I’m sure 26 needy families could make good use of $1,000.

The devices appear to be of Asian origin and are identified as SunVote M30 Response Keypads. Other towns in New England have begun using these or similar devices. Williamstown appears to be gung-ho to jump on the bandwagon.

They are designed to work via Bluetooth radio waves. The keypads use two lithium CR2032 batteries each. They employ two-way RF 2.4GHz digital communication technology.

Some questions are:

Are they safe to use for everybody?
Could they affect anyone's medical devices?
Could having 1,000 keypads simultaneously pressed have cumulative, unpredictable consequences?

Up to 30 percent of the population may be sensitive to RF radio waves. Common symptoms may be anxiety, hyperactivity, irritability, depression, chest tightness, fatigue, memory loss, headaches, dizziness, sleep issues, noise sensitivity, ringing in the ears, burning eyes, nervous bladder, heart palpitations, muscle tension, joint pain and skin rashes.

Can these keypads be hacked? Can voters/entities obtain additional keypads and vote more than once without being easily detected?

Conversely, how do you prevent the people sitting near you from seeing your vote?

There may be advantages to using these keypads. People may be more willing to oppose out-of-control spending if they can do it anonymously. However, it may be premature to adopt using these keypads without more longitudinal study.

Ken Swiatek
Williamstown, Mass.

Williamstown's Images Cinema Set for May 22 Reopening

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:28AM / Friday, May 01, 2026

Construction work on the main screen room at Images is seen through a hole cut for a to-be-installed projector.

 

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Images Cinema will be making up for lost time when the non-profit venue reopens this month after a major renovation and redesign.

 

"First Look," a two-week festival screening some of the biggest films of the last year, will usher in a new era for the century-old Spring Street venue.

 

The Oscar winner for Best Picture is just one of more than a dozen films that will be shown during the festival, which will run from May 22 through June 4.

 

"After a long, cold winter, we're so excited to fully spring back into action at Images," Executive Director Dan Hudson said in a news release. "What better way to celebrate with the community than by showing great films, some of which we have not yet been able to present?"

 

Images members will be able to see films ranging from "One Battle After Another" to "Zootopia 2" for free. Non-members will be able to attend for just $5 during the two-week festival.

 

The theater itself figures to be part of the draw.

 

After closing for renovations in October, Images will reopen with a new configuration, including a 70-seat main theater, an 18-seat second theater and a 15-seat lounge available for "intimate" screenings and events. The main screen will feature Dolby Atmos immersive sound and 4K laser projection. The second screen will have 7.1 surround sound and 2K laser projection.