Why is the town meeting form of government difficult to use in large cities?

The town meeting form of government is considered "unwieldy" for large cities because it relies on the direct participation of registered voters to debate issues, set tax rates, and pass laws.12

In this system, which is often described as a pure form of direct democracy, governmental power is exercised directly by the people rather than being delegated to elected representatives. While this model is effective for the smaller, often semirural communities found in New England, it becomes impractical as a population grows. In large cities, the sheer number of citizens makes it physically and logistically impossible to gather the entire electorate for open sessions to manage the complex, large-scale administrative needs of a modern urban environment. Consequently, larger municipalities typically adopt alternative structures, such as the mayor-council or city manager systems, which delegate authority to elected officials and professional administrators to ensure efficient governance.1342