Hopkinton: Why Is Town Voting So Important?

The following is a letter to the editor submitted by Select Board candidate Shahidul Mannan. The opinions expressed are those of the author.

Monday May 16 is our town election. We are poised to elect another set of wonderful volunteers who will help run this town and a set of important ballot decisions on town matters are also going to be decided by residents’ vote.

It’s amazing how our practice of democracy starts right at home. It’s a beautiful thing that we have a voice in the decision making on matters of our daily lives and our children’s future, starting right in our neighborhood. These local elections are the most impactful in shaping our town- our schools, our town services, clean water and safety, parks and trails, local business direction, property taxes and so much more.

Unfortunately, the local town elections are often the ones that suffer most from low turnout. Recent trends also show challenges with attendance in town meetings.

We need to participate and engage more. Building our voice in town matters, gathering our ideas together and having that citizen oversight is all too important to ignore. I urge you all to make the time to vote in town elections Monday at Hopkinton Middle School from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and let your voice be heard in defining our future.