5 Things That Defined the Election

Yesterday's election was the first in town of its kind, so now we'll take a look back at the factors that made it what it was.

1. Turnout. People were passionate on both sides of the issue and about 30 percent made it to the polls yesterday. In April's municipal election, only 18 percent voted - and that was with an override question.

2. Weather. Though the summer is never a "good" time to have an election because many people are on vacation, the town received more than 1,000 absentee ballots. Election day was sunny and even toasty, with many getting sunburns, but it certainly wasn't cold like the U.S. Senate election that Scott Brown won in January 2010.

3. A grassroots effort. Choose Chelmsford was truly just a group of residents who rose up together to fight what they believed was wrong, and they ended up winning. A lot of hard work went into their campaign.

4. The unexpected. We knew to expect something out of the ordinary yesterday, and we found it in Nancy Araway's She later in the day took down the display and wore a witch hat held a broom.

5. Ready to move on. Both sides have said now it's time to move on from the recall - many are tired of reading about it and now the town can go forward.