From the field: Record voter turnout should be celebrated

Hannah Alden, Reporter, The Record-Review Hearing about the record high voter turnout for last week’s spring elections made me smile and think of my 88-year-old grandmother who has always told our family that voting is one of our most important responsibilities.

My grandma, born in 1934, is a very political person with a wealth of knowledge about history. She’s got a passion for keeping the stories of her little town up north alive and well, volunteering to welcome and chat with visitors at the town’s historical museum each summer. I could spend hours looking at old photos with her and hearing about the decades I never experienced.

Each time an election comes around, I hear her in my head, reminding me to vote. I’m grateful for the push she’s given me to pay attention to politics and discover history. It’s something I find not many of my peers are as interested in. Maybe they believe their vote doesn’t matter. But if everyone acted on that feeling, where would we be?

For an example, take the township I live in outside of Dorchester. Voters there elected a write-in candidate for town board chairperson by three points. If just three people hadn’t shown up to the polls last week, it would have been a different outcome.

qqq

My husband and I returned from a weekend away on Sunday to see our yard almost completely free of snow! However, sloppy mud and streams of melting water have taken its place. But that’s to be expected and I welcome it as spring finally shows up.

Our farm field is soggy, meaning it will be a while before we can get out there to start prepping beds for planting. But each day our property has dried out a little more and I’m hoping the warm weather and breezy conditions this week help speed things along.

It was nice to have the garage door open while I seeded some spinach and flowers on Monday afternoon (except for the robins that kept trying to fly in). Later this week I’ll be sowing tomatoes, peppers and other hotweather- loving crops. I got an update last week that we will likely be able to install our high tunnel at the beginning of May, due to a schedule change. Here’s to hoping the field is dry enough by then!