The Oyster Bay-East Norwich School District Budget re-vote takes place on June 14, as does the Locust Valley vote. The last day to register to vote in Locust Valley was June 9 and in Oyster Bay on Friday, June 10.

Last week, on Wednesday, June 1, we covered the Locust Valley School Board of Education as it deliberated what to do about their budget re-vote. Although they felt it was a fair budget, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Anthony Singe presented his suggested budget cuts that he said would not affect the students' education. While the board was in executive session the Locust Valley Budget Task Force said they had signed up about 21 residents to work on getting voters out.

That night, Elementary School Principal Dr. Joanne Grimm had told the parents who attended the concert that the task force members were signing people up. The Task Force co-chairs are Jeanne Vaino and Patti Craft. It appears that 50 percent of those in the district are registered to vote and out of that half vote in the school board election.

Trustee Ronald Walsh said he had a list of voters who live on his block and that he would visit them and urge them to vote. He said, as a board member he couldn't tell them how to vote - but could just suggest that they do vote. He said that the Budget Task Force could do otherwise, and that they can explain why they would like people to support the budget.

So it appears that in all school district votes, a critical thing is getting people out to vote.

We thought about the problems of voting in this country, where people move around so easily. In this country when you buy a new house, you don't have to go to the village hall and sign in officially. As Americans, we just know we belong and assume we carry with us all the rights and privileges of citizenship. While that is correct overall, there are little glitches.

Just the way we have learned we have to register our car with the motor vehicle bureau, we have to register ourselves with the local board of elections. It is something we all need to be aware of. Maybe as you go to contract for your house your lawyer should present you with a new voter registration form. It is one of your legal rights when you buy a house!

The school district does however give out paper ballots for voters who believe they are entitled to vote and they are sent to the Nassau County Board of Elections for verification.

Someone said there is a myth that some people are afraid to vote for fear of getting on a list for jurors and therefore don't vote in school board elections. That turns out to be a wasted attempt to subvert your role in government. The board of elections said, "It is a right and duty of citizenship to vote the names for jurors are obtained from lists of taxpayers, licensed drivers, those receiving public assistance and state unemployment lists."

The Office of the Commissioner of Jurors said, "One of our sources is the list of the board of elections so anyone on that list can be summoned to jury duty."

You are already on many lists for everything except to vote in the school board election. With the way Americans move around it is understandable that you need to fulfill that one obligation of being in the school district for 30 days.

To be able to take part in the school budget vote you must be a citizen of the United States, be over 18 years old and a resident of the school district you are voting in - for 30 days.

-DFK