District addresses privacy concerns over ‘absentee ballot only’ voting

Readers raised questions relative to the privacy of votes cast in the Akron Central School District annual budget and board member election after receiving their absentee ballots last week.  Absentee balloting is the only way to vote this year. The Akron Bugle reached out to the District office following receipt of those questions.

This morning the District issued the following notice regarding privacy concerns over the casting of absentee ballots for the June 9, 2020 School Budget Vote and Board of Education elections.School districts across New York State have been receiving questions from voters in receipt of an absentee ballot regarding concerns over the privacy of their vote and others learning how they voted.

This notice serves to describe the absentee ballot counting process.

Education Law provides that an envelope containing a returned absentee ballot is not to be opened until a determination is made that there is no reason for rejecting the ballot, which could happen if, for example, the voter fails to provide the signature required by law to appear on the envelope containing the ballot.

Once such determination is made and the envelope is opened, the ballot is withdrawn without unfolding and deposited into the proper ballot box. Absentee ballots remain folded, separate from the envelope, until they are actually counted.

As a result, at the time of counting, the ballots will not be linked to the envelope in which they were returned.

Questions regarding the voting process should be directed to the District Clerk, Roxanne Rebmann, at (716)542-5006.

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