Dear BKW community,
As you are aware, the annual budget vote and board elections will be conducted by mail-in ballot this year, as per executive order by the governor. According to the executive order ballots are to be mailed to all qualified voters in the district, and are to include a postage paid envelope for return of the ballot by voters. Ballots are due back to the district by June 9, at 5 pm. Only ballots received by that time will be counted.
To meet this expectation, we contracted NTS, our longtime partner that maintains our voter rolls through Albany County. On Friday, May 29, NTS notified us of shortages of envelopes for the ballot packet, which may cause delay in mailing ballots for districts working with NTS, as they work with many districts across the state. We made repeated attempts on Friday and Saturday to contact NTS to determine the status of our ballot packets. We finally heard from them on Sunday, May 31.
We learned they now have the necessary envelopes to complete the packets and expect to have packets in the mail by June 3. After communicating this morning with NTS, we have determined it is best to stay the course, as there would not be enough time to reprint 5,000 envelopes on our own. We will be creating secure drop box options for voters to return their ballots to the district without using the postal service, if they desire, and/or if they think their ballot will not reach the district before the 5 p.m. deadline on June 9. Drop box procedures are below this letter.
These are challenging times on many levels and this is yet another obstacle we will overcome. We will do all we can to ensure every voter is able to have their vote counted. We appreciate your patience and flexibility as we work through the process.
Sincerely,
Dr. Timothy Mundell
Superintendent of Schools
Berne-Knox-Westerlo CSD
BKW drop box availability for budget vote ballots
BKW district residents wishing to cast their ballots for the 2020-21 budget vote and school board election in person instead of by mail may deposit their completed ballots, signed and sealed, in either one of two secure drop boxes established for this purpose. There will be a drop box located at the main entry to the secondary school on Helderberg Trail. A drop box will also be located at the entry to the business office, adjacent to the bus garage on Helderberg Trail.
The drop boxes will be set up on Thursday, June 4 and will remain in place through Tuesday, June 9 at 5 pm. The District Clerk will collect ballots from the boxes and scan them as received on a daily basis. Surveillance cameras will provide video monitoring for security of the boxes when offices are closed. See to complete and deliver your ballot below: