2120.2 Voting Procedures
- 2000: Board Governance Operations
2120.2 Voting Procedures
Eligibility to Vote
A person shall be entitled to vote in any school district election and in all matters placed upon the official ballot, if such person is:
- A citizen of the United States;
- At least 18 years of age
- A resident within the school district for a period of 30 days next preceding the election at which such person desires to vote;
- Qualified to register or is registered to vote in accord with section 5-106 of the election Law which excludes:
- Those convicted felons who have not been pardoned or had their rights of citizenship restored, those whose maximum sentence of imprisonment has not expired; and/or those who have not been discharged from parole; and
- Person adjudged mentally incompetent by a court.
Challenges to voters believed unqualified to vote may be undertaken pursuant to Education Law provisions. Each annual or special election or meeting shall have a presiding chairman appointed by the Board. Such chairman shall have the responsibility of properly handling any challenges to the qualification of any voter.
Voting
Paper ballots shall be used for recording the votes on all elections, budget votes, and votes on special propositions.
Each ballot box shall have at least two election inspectors appointed by the Board in attendance during all voting hours. It shall be the duty of the district Clerk to keep a poll list containing the name and legal residence of each person before such person is permitted to vote.
Write-in ballot spaces are required. Ballots containing the names of nominated candidates will be provided by the Board. There will be as many write-in spaces as there are vacancies at the time of election.
The writing in of a name in the blank space so provided, will sufficiently indicted a vote. The district cannot require a voter to place any other mark besides the name of a write-in candidate.
Absentee Ballots
The Board provides for the use of absentee ballots for voting. Such ballots shall be available for the election of members of the Board of Education, the adoption of the school district budget, and on questions and propositions submitted to the voters of the district. The application must be received by the district Clerk at least seven days prior to the election, if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter; or the application must be received by the day before the election, if the ballot is to be personally delivered. The application must be completed and returned, and the individual must verify therein that he/she meets all voting requirements and explain the reason for his/her inability to appear in person to vote.
In particular, the individual must explain that he/she will be unable to appear to vote in person on the day of the school district election because:
- He/she will be a patient in a hospital, or unable to appear personally at the polling place on such day because of illness or physical disability;
- His/her duties, occupation, business, or studies will require him/her to be outside of the county or city of hi/her residence on such day;
- He/she will be on vacation outside the county or city of his/her residence on such day; or is
- confined in prison after conviction for an offense other than a felony.
The district shall request registration lists from the Board of Elections for those voters whose registration record has been marked “permanently disabled” and shall automatically mail absentee ballots to such voters in advance of each district vote or election.
Ref:
Education Law §§2012; 2014; 2018; 2018-a; 2018-b; 2018-c; 2019; 2019-a; 2020; 2022; 2025; 2030; 2031; 2032; 2035; 2037; 2603; 2607; 2610; 2613
Education Law §§3-224; 5-106; 5-612; 5-400
Matter of Rodriguez, 31 EDR 471 (1992)
Matter of Gresty, 31 EDR 90 (1991)
Matter of Ferro, 25 EDR 175 (1985)
Matter of Manno and Maloney, 23 EDR 172 (1983)
Matter of Yost, 21 EDR 140 (1981)
Matter of Alpert and Helmer, 20 EDR 281 (1980)
Matter of Reifler and Barton, 16 EDR 256 (1977)
Adoption Date: 05/21/20