BUDGET VOTE AND BOARD OF EDUCATION ELECTION

The vote will be held on May 16, 2023. Voting will be done in-person from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm at Stissing Mountain Junior / Senior High School, 2829 Church Street Pine Plains, NY  12567. 

If you are in need of an absentee ballot, please download the application, fill out and return original to the District Clerk, PPCSD, 2829 Church Street, Pine Plains, NY  12567. Please call Julia W. Tomaine, District Clerk if you have any questions not answered in this section. She can be reached at 518-398-7181 x1408.

VOTING:  Voter qualifications are thus: United States citizen; 18 years of age or older; and a permanent resident within the District for a period of thirty (30) days immediately prior to the vote.

In order to vote, an individual must also be registered with either the school district or with Dutchess/Columbia County Board of Elections (depending on County of residence). 

Any qualified resident may register to vote in this year’s election at the District Office, Stissing Mountain Junior / Senior High School, 2829 Church Street, Pine Plains, during regular business hours, from 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, on days when school is in session, until May 11, 2023.

You may also register to vote with the Board of Elections:
Dutchess County Board of Elections – (845) 486-2473; https://www.elections.dutchessny.gov/

Columbia County Board of Elections – (518) 828-3115; https://www.elections@columbiacountyny.com

Registration forms are available on the County Board of Elections websites for mailing or delivering to the appropriate Board of Elections. or

By submitting an on-line application for voter registration with the Department of Motor Vehicles at https://dmv.ny.gov/more-info/electronic-voter-registration-application.

VOTER REGISTRATION:  Notice is also given that personal registration of voters is required pursuant to Section 2014 of the Education Law.  Any qualified voter may register to vote for the Annual School District Election and Vote at the District Office as described above.  The register for said Annual School District Election and Vote shall include all persons who shall have presented themselves personally for registration and shall also include all persons who shall have been previously registered for and have voted at any annual or special school district election or vote held or conducted during the 2019, 2020, 2021 or 2022 calendar years.  A resident who is registered with the Dutchess or Columbia County Board of Elections is also qualified to vote.  Voter qualifications are thus: must be a United States citizen; 18 years of age or older; and a permanent resident within the District for a period of thirty (30) days immediately prior to the vote.

ABSENTEE BALLOTS:  Absentee Ballot applications must be received by the District Clerk not more than thirty (30) and at least seven (7) days prior to the election and vote, if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election and vote if the ballot is to be personally picked up by the voter or the voter’s designated agent set forth on the application. Absentee Ballots must be received by the District Clerk no later than 5:00 p.m. on the day of the election and vote, May 16, 2023. 

If you need an Absentee Ballot, you can pick up an application in the District Office located in the Stissing Mountain Junior / Senior High School, download application or call the District Clerk at (518) 398-7181 Ext. 1408.

MILITARY VOTER REGISTRATION AND BALLOTS:  Military voters may apply to register as a qualified voter of the school district and/or submit an application for a military ballot. Military voters may designate a preference to receive a military voter registration, military ballot application or military ballot by mail, facsimile transmission or electronic mail in their request for such registration, ballot application or ballot. Military voter registration application forms and ballot applications must be received in the Office of the District Clerk by mail by no later than 5:00 p.m. on April 20, 2023.  No military ballot will be canvassed unless it is returned by mail and received in the office of the District Clerk by no later than 5:00 p.m. on election day.

PUBLIC HEARING ON THE BUDGET:  Notice is hereby given that the Board of Education of the Pine Plains Central School District will hold a public hearing on the budget, on May 3, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of presentation of the 2023-2024 budget. Any questions can be emailed to the District Clerk at j.tomaine@ppcsd.org. 

BOARD OF EDUCATION ELECTION:  Anyone interested in becoming a candidate for the Board of Education of the Pine Plains Central School District may contact the District Clerk for a nominating petition packet.

There are two seats available; two are for a three-year term commencing July 1, 2023 and expiring June 30, 2026.  The Board member election will be held on May 16, 2023, the same date / time as the District’s vote on the 2023-2024 school budget.

Nominating petitions:  Nominating petitions are due in the District Office no later than Monday, April 17, 2023 at 5:00 pm with at least twenty-five (25) signatures of qualified voters of the district.  Potential candidates are strongly encouraged to obtain more than 25 signatures to ensure that petitions include at least 25 valid signatures. 

Board of Education member qualifications are as follows:

• Must be able to read and write.

• Must be a qualified voter of the district; that is, a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years of age or older, and not adjudged to be incompetent.

• Must be and have been a resident of the district for a continuous and uninterrupted period of at least one year immediately preceding the election.

• May not have been removed from any school district office within the preceding year.

• May not reside with another member of the same school board as a member of the same family.

• May not be a current employee of the school district.

• May not simultaneously hold another incompatible public office.

If you have any questions, about the vote or the voting process, please contact Julia W. Tomaine, District Clerk at (518) 398-7181 Ext. 1408. The official notice will be published in the official newspapers of the district and posted on the website.