An Update Regarding School Budget Vote Ballots

Dear Brewster Community,

We write to update you on the status of the absentee ballot mailing. NTS Data, a third-party company with which the District contracted to perform the printing and mailing of absentee ballots, has informed the District that it intends to mail all absentee ballots by close of business on Tuesday, June 2. According to this timeline, it is anticipated that absentee ballots will be delivered to qualified voters on/about Saturday, June 6th but may vary from household to household depending on the processing of the U.S. Postal Service.

Executive Order 202.26 requires that all ballots be received by the District Clerk by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, June 9. Because of this condensed timeline, it may not be possible for qualified voters to mail their ballot back using the prepaid postage return envelope and have their absentee ballots received by the District Clerk on time. Therefore, the District will also be making arrangements to allow residents to drop-off their absentee ballots using a secure Drop Box located at District Office, located at 30 Farm To Market Road, on the following days:

• Saturday, June 6th from 8:00AM to 12:00PM
• Sunday, June 7th from 8:00AM to 12:00PM
• Monday, June 8th from 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM
• Tuesday, June 9th from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM

According to the Executive Order, ballots received after 5:00 PM on Tuesday, June 9 cannot be counted. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that residents utilize the drop-off option to ensure their ballots are received and counted. In order to ensure the integrity of the budget vote process, the Drop Boxes will be monitored by District employees, Putnam County Sheriffs, and video surveillance.

Please continue to visit our budget website for more information and important updates. A list of Questions & Answers has been compiled in response to questions raised by community members over the past several weeks. We will update the website as soon as ballots have been mailed. 

Due to statewide delays, districts across the state have reached out to the Governor’s office about extending the ballot deadline to ensure that ballots are received in a timely manner. We are waiting to hear if there will be any changes. Please contact Governor Cuomo’s office directly at https://www.governor.ny.gov/contact/NYCitizensCampaign/index.php if you would like to voice any concerns. However, unless you hear otherwise, please assume that the deadline to submit your ballot is June 9 at 5:00 PM.

Respectfully,

Laurie Bandlow, Ed.D.