Early voting has been a huge success in Harvard (see story). Turnout was climbing past 20 percent on Wednesday morning. Voters whose travel plans and work schedules would have kept them from the polls on Nov. 8 have been able to participate, while elderly and disabled citizens have found Town Hall to be a more relaxed venue and the clerk’s desk inside an easier walk from the car than the Bromfield cafeteria. Wait times have been brief, and lines at Bromfield on Election Day next week will be shorter as a result.
With so much attention being paid to this year’s presidential race and state ballot questions, it would be easy to overlook the state Senate contest among three candidates vying to represent Harvard and 13 other towns in the Middlesex and Worcester District. It’s Harvard’s only contested race. (Jennifer Benson, Harvard’s 37th Middlesex House District representative, is running unopposed.) The Senate candidates are Democratic incumbent Jamie Eldridge, who is running for a fifth term; Republican Ted Busiek of Littleton; and independent Terra Friedrichs of Acton. To help our readers choose among them, we asked each candidate to respond to five questions. We asked the candidates to refrain from criticism of their opponents, but rather use the opportunity to articulate their own positions.
Harvard voters traditionally turn out in high numbers every four years, far exceeding participation in other towns. Early voting will remain an option for residents until 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3. On Election Day, Nov. 8, polls will be open at the Bromfield School from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. With so many opportunities to take part in an election considered pivotal to our country’s future, there’s no excuse not to exercise your fundamental right to vote, the right that is the very definition of representative democracy. See you at the polls.
