By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

As I stood in line to participate in the City’s first ever early voting session on Monday morning, I met residents who were so excited to cast their vote in this year’s election that they had been at City Hall since 7:30 a.m. Forty-five minutes later when I arrived and took my place in line, it stretched down our hall way, and it continued to grow until the polls opened at 8:30. What an incredible experience to watch our democracy at work! I was reminded then about what makes Somerville unique and special.

Strong, vibrant, tight-knit communities like ours are built from the ground up by residents who are engaged and involved in many different ways throughout the city. Your civic engagement is essential to how efficiently and effectively our government is able to serve you, and many facets of our city’s success depend on it.  Civic engagement is important because it provides many opportunities for your voice to be heard and allows us as a government to be informed about public concerns and address them appropriately. Civic engagement can take on many forms – and we’ve seen them all here in Somerville – such as volunteerism or community service, activism, community organizing, non-profit work, public service, political advocacy, and of course voting.

I know some may become discouraged as a result of the foulness of this election cycle. But it’s vitally important to remember what’s at stake here. While the presidential race has taken much of the spotlight and will understandably be a big draw of this year’s election, there’s a lot going on at the state and local level that deserves our attention too.

Just like other voters across the Commonwealth, you will have the opportunity to vote on four statewide ballot questions addressing issues of gaming slots, charter schools, farm animals, and marijuana. And some of these could have big impacts here at home.

But we also will have our own Somerville-specific question on the ballot. Question 5 is seeking voter approval to allow the City to implement a debt exclusion in order to fund the construction of a new Somerville High School. I recognize the deep complexity of the issue, so I strongly encourage you to visit www.somervillema.gov/highschool for more information. There you can find information about why we need a new high school including the current structural deficiencies and potential risks surrounding accreditation. You’ll also see additional FAQs addressing topics ranging from how exactly the project will be funded to how much it will cost the average taxpayer, as well as the City’s potential mitigation efforts.

I’ve certainly kept it no secret as to what my thoughts are on some of the ballot questions. I’ve spoken out numerous times against expanded gaming and blindly lifting the charter cap, and I’ve also made it clear that I think a new Somerville High is necessary for the future success of the City. But I’m not here to get into that now. I want to instead ask you to research for yourselves. It’s not enough to just show up and vote. True, successful civic engagement requires active participants to be well-informed. So take a few minutes to visit http://bit.ly/2dQgHPw and review the questions on this year’s ballot. Discuss the issues with your friends and family, learn how it could impact you and your neighbors, decide for yourself what decision you believe to be best, and show up at the polls.

In the 2012 Presidential election, national voter turnout for the United States came in at a disappointing 57.5 percent. Here in Somerville, 72.36 percent of us reported to the polls (a result of our population’s active civic engagement I mentioned earlier). But I think we can do even better. Early voting is making it even more convenient this year for you to vote and let your voice be heard. We had 960 people show up to early vote on Monday, and we’re hoping to get more and more in each day. For a complete list of early voting dates and times, please visit www.somervillema.gov/earlyvoting. And remember: If you can’t make it out to vote early, you can still vote at your usual polling place on the Nov. 8 Election Day.

We’re fortunate to live in a democratic country where we have the chance to be civically involved, and we’re even more fortunate to live in a city where active and meaningful civic engagement is a priority. Let’s not take that privilege and responsibility lightly. Let’s get out the vote, Somerville.