Final answer:
A town meeting is effective in small communities, and special districts like school districts exist to manage the needs of growing populations. Voting costs include time and effort, while large community influence is often diffused compared to that of organized special interest groups.
Step-by-step explanation:
A town meeting form of government works well in small communities where residents can gather to make decisions collectively on local issues. Special districts such as local school districts are examples of government units with specialized functions that arise often in densely populated areas where county and city governments are overwhelmed. As a response to increased populations, governments form to administer resources, maintain order, and provide services that individuals need but cannot manage on their own. Hence, an increase in population necessitates the establishment of government to effectively handle the complex needs of a larger community.
The cost of voting in an election is largely non-monetary but includes the voter's time, effort to register and become informed on the issues, and potentially lost wages if they need to take time off work to vote. The main factor preventing a large community from influencing policy as a special interest group does is typically a lack of organized focus and resources which are necessary to maintain a strong, persistent influence on policymakers.