Borough Clerk: School Budget Vote Hangs in Balance

When unofficial results were in Wednesday night, the $55.1 million 2011-2012 Fort Lee school budget had won voter approval by the narrowest of margins: 1,105 in favor and 1,102 against. But it could be another 10 days before the county makes the results official, and an estimated 20 to 25 provisional ballots could be the deciding factor.

A provisional ballot is a paper ballot cast by a voter whose eligibility requirements are in question. Perhaps the person’s name is not in the book. Perhaps the person says he or she is a registered voter, but that can’t be confirmed.

“The board workers have been trained not to disenfranchise any voter, so they let them vote by paper ballot,” Fort Lee borough clerk Neil Grant explained, adding that he’ll most likely know the number of provisional ballots Thursday but not whether they were yes or no votes, and “the certification of them at the earliest will be Friday or next Monday.”

“Now that paper ballot goes to the county,” Grant said. “The county then confirms that that voter meets eligibility requirements. If that person does meet it, the provisional ballot will count. If he does not meet it, then the county sends that person a letter saying you weren’t eligible to vote, and the vote will not count.”

But final certification of the election could take even longer than that.

According to an official at the County Clerk’s office, the Board of Elections has 10 days after the election—not including weekends—to certify the results. That would make the deadline for final certification May 11.

“Usually it means nothing. It’s not going to effect the candidates,” Grant said, referring to the three candidates who were elected to seats on the Fort Lee Board of Education—Peter Suh, Helen Yoon and Joseph Surace. “But it could effect the yes/no vote [on the budget]. It does hang in the balance.”

The provisional ballots, which arrived at Borough Hall in orange, sealed bags Wednesday night, have already been sent to the county, Grant said.

He said he didn’t check the individual bags, some of which were not labeled properly, but he has a rough idea of how many provisional ballots there might be.

“I’m guessing somewhere between 20 to 25, but I can’t be a hundred percent sure on that number,” Grant said. “I could be wrong.”

If the budget were ultimately to fail, it would go through what’s called a “defeated budget process,” Fort Lee Superintendent of Schools Raymond Bandlow, speaking hypothetically, explained Wednesday.

That means it goes to the Fort Lee Borough Council for review. The borough’s governing body can then either reinstate the budget as is, or it can recommend reductions.

“They could determine a dollar amount that they want reduced along with recommending where those reductions might occur—in what areas,” Bandlow said. “So there would be some discussion between the [Board of Education] and the council regarding that. They’re not obligated to reduce the budget, but they can.”