On the third Tuesday of each May, residents from across New York state go to the polls to vote on the following year’s school district budget and to elect members of the Board of Education.
Voter Qualifications
To qualify to register to vote, you must meet all of the conditions listed below:
- You are a citizen of the United States
- You are at least 18 years of age
- You are a resident of the District for at least thirty (30) days prior to the vote date
- You are not a convicted felon
- You are not in jail or on parole for a felony conviction
- You are not adjudged by a Court to be mentally incompetent
Voter Registration
If you are registered through the county that you live in to vote in national, county and town elections, you do not have to do anything. You are already registered to vote in the school district election.
If you are not registered to vote with the county, you may register just for the school district election or to request an absentee ballot application (see below) by contacting District Clerk Stephanie Bonk at stephanie.bonk@oesj.org or by calling (518) 568-7280.
Voting Locations
Community voting is held from noon to 8 p.m. the third Tuesday in May at:
- OESJ Junior-Senior High School auditorium, 44 Center St., St. Johnsville
- OEJS Elementary School auditorium, 6486 State Highway 29, St. Johnsville
If you live in the former St. Johnsville school district, you vote at the Junior-Senior High School. If you live in the former Oppenheim-Ephratah school district, you vote at the Elementary School. If you are unsure where to vote, contact District Clerk Stephanie Bonk at stephanie. bonk@oesj.org or by calling (518) 568-7280.
Absentee Ballots
Absentee ballots will be provided upon proper application to any qualified voter who will be unable to vote in person due to illness or physical disability, hospitalization, incarceration (unless for conviction of a felony), travel outside the voter’s county or city of residence for employment or business reasons, studies, or vacation on the day of the election.
The District Clerk will review the absentee ballot application to determine if the applicant is a qualified voter and is otherwise entitled to vote by absentee ballot. If the application is proper in all respects, the District Clerk will then mail or personally issue an absentee ballot to the voter.
Application must be received by the District Clerk at least 7 days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. Completed absentee ballots are due back to the school by 5 p.m. on the day of the vote.
Here is the absentee ballot application.
Early Mail Ballots
On September 20, 2023, Governor Hochul signed into law Chapter 481 of the Laws of 2023 which provided for the New York Early Mail Voter Act. Chapter 481 authorizes the use of early mail ballots in school elections and provides that an early mail ballot application for use by school districts “shall be in a form prescribed by the state board of elections”. The application linked below was approved by the State Board of Elections on February 6, 2024. Please note that applications may not be submitted more than 30 days prior to the election. Instructions on how to complete the application can be found on page 2 of the form.
Who may use this application for a school district early mail ballot?
You may use this application if you are a qualified voter participating in a school election for which early vote by mail is authorized by law.
You may only apply for an early mail ballot on your own behalf. A voter who applies for and is issued an early mail ballot will not be eligible for an absentee ballot for the same election.
If you are unsure whether the election you are applying for permits early vote by mail, please contact your district clerk.
The District Clerk will review the early mail ballot application to determine if the applicant is a qualified voter and is otherwise entitled to vote. If the application is proper in all respects, the District Clerk will then mail or personally issue a ballot to the voter.