BUDGET VOTE
School Voting Information
General Information
On the third Tuesday of each May, residents from across New York State go to the polls to vote on the
annual school district budget and to elect members of the Board of Education.
Location: Large Group Instruction Room (LGI) from 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Voter Eligibility
You are eligible to vote if you are a United States citizen, 18 years or older, and a resident of the
Wayland-Cohocton Central School District for at least 30 days prior to the annual vote date.
New Voting Procedures
What is different?
The annual school budget and board member election to be held on May 17 will be the first school
election in many decades in which lever machines will not be used. Wayland-Cohocton will be returning
to a paper ballot system.
How do I sign in?
On the day of the vote between the hours of 10:00am – 8:00pm, go to the sign in table where will be
required to sign your name and township in which you reside. You will also be asked for the correct
spelling of your name by our election workers. Our Election Workers also reserve the right to ask for
photo ID.
What will I receive at the sign-in table?
You will be given a paper ballot (please do not separate your ballot) and privacy sleeve.
Where and how do I complete the ballot?
You will be instructed to go to a privacy booth. Once at the privacy booth, review the paper ballot, and
make your selections using the pen provided. Be sure to completely blacken the oval. Select either yes
or no for each proposition and designate only one candidate. After you have finished filling out the
ballot, fold your ballot in half so your vote is on the inside. Place your folded ballot in the privacy sleeve.
What do I do once I have completed the ballot and placed it in the privacy sleeve?
After you have completed your ballot, proceed to the ballot box where you will be asked to remove your
folded ballot and place it in the ballot box.
If you have any problems on the day of the vote, please see one of the Election Workers at the main
table.
If you have any questions, please contact Dineen Snyder, Superintendent Secretary at
Absentee Ballots
Absentee ballots are available to registered voters who will not be in the district on the day of the
budget vote for specific reasons.
Absentee ballots are available if you are:
- Unable to vote in person because of illness.
- Planning to be out of the area on vacation or business.
- Confined to prison due to conviction of an offense other than a felony.
- Accompanying a spouse, parent or child of the same residence who can’t come to the polls for
one of the above reasons.
HOW DO I GET AN ABSENTEE BALLOT?
Please be aware that there is a two-step process to receive an absentee ballot.
1. Fill out an application for an absentee ballot to confirm why you will not be able to vote in
person.
2. Fill out the actual absentee ballot to cast your vote.
STEP ONE – Fill out the application for an absentee ballot
First, you must fill out an application for an absentee ballot (PDF) to confirm the reason why you will not
be able to vote in person. There are three ways to fill out the application:
You can download and print the application for an absentee ballot online.
You can call the district secretary at (585) 728-2211 ext. 3396 and ask to have it mailed to you.
You can visit the district’s secretary to fill it out in person at the Wayland-Cohocton Central
School, 2350 Rte. 63, Wayland, NY.
WHEN ARE APPLICATIONS FOR ABSENTEE BALLOTS DUE?
An absentee ballot application must be submitted at least seven days before the budget vote. After the
district secretary receives your application for an absentee ballot, you will be sent the actual absentee
ballot to cast your vote.
STEP TWO – Fill out the actual absentee ballot to cast your vote
After you fill out and submit the application for an absentee ballot to the district secretary, you will
receive the actual absentee ballot to cast your vote. The absentee ballot must be received by the district
secretary by 5 p.m. on the day of the budget vote.
It is important to remember that if you want your absentee ballot mailed to you; all applications for
absentee ballots MUST be received by the district secretary at least seven days prior to the budget vote.
We are governed by law and there is no exception to this rule. If you plan on having it mailed to you, be
sure to give yourself extra time when making the request to the district clerk, so that you have enough
time to fill it out and get it back to the district clerk seven days before the vote.
A suggestion is to visit the district secretary at the district in person to fill out the application and receive
your absentee ballot at that time. This will avoid having to worry about meeting mailing deadlines.
By understanding the two-step process of absentee ballots, all of our registered voters will be able to
cast their vote during the annual district budget vote and board of education election on May 17, 2016.
For information, contact District Secretary, Dineen Snyder at 728-2211 ext. 3396.
Remember: All absentee ballots must be received by the District Secretary by 5 p.m. on the day of the
budget vote.