Massapequa school voter turnout was so high they ran out of ballots
Voter turnout on Tuesday was higher than expected in the Massapequa school district. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
Officials in two Long Island school districts faced a surge in voters at the polls Tuesday, leading to delays.
In Massapequa, schools Superintendent William Brennan said in an email the district ran out of ballots after “higher-than-expected” turnout. It printed an additional 1,500 ballots, 348 of which were submitted and dropped into boxes that, according to Brennan, were overseen by the site director, poll watchers and security officers. As per Nassau law, paper ballots were counted by hand, he said.
District officials did not say how many people voted but the budget passed by a vote of 4,761- 2,192. By comparison, the budget vote was 1,498-679 last year.
Incumbents Danielle Ocuto and Cher Lepre defeated challengers Lynn Russo and Robert Bonett in a contentious school board election, according to results posted on the district website.
Brennan said there were minor delays, but "the process went smoothly and we were able to provide all voters the opportunity to cast a secure ballot."
But Tyler Stegemann, a volunteer poll watcher for Russo and Bonett, described a “chaotic” scene around 7 p.m. Tuesday at Massapequa High School, when she said the district exhausted its supply of ballots.
“There was a lag or two ... a couple of people were suspicious, but more than anything people had trouble folding the ballot to get them inside [the slot],” she said, adding there was also confusion about how to fill out the paper forms.
“There was definitely a lot more room for professionalism,” Stegemann said.
David Ebert, a campaign organizer for the challengers, said he also witnessed some hiccups, including a handful of voters who he said were not properly advised after their names did not show up on voter lists despite being registered.
The district denied the allegations Wednesday.
Russo and Bonett said they would not challenge the results, acknowledging they lost by a wide margin.
Ocuto received 4,692 votes and Lepre garnered 4,532, according to the district. Russo received 2,309 votes and Bonett had 2,227 votes.
Bonett praised the way the district handled the heavy turnout. “I really think they did the best they could,” he said in a phone interview.
Ocuto and Lepre did not return requests for comment.
In Roosevelt, meanwhile, school officials said they received a high number of affidavit ballots during Tuesday's vote. Affidavit ballots are used when a registered voter's name cannot be found on the voter roll.
A district spokesperson said they were unable to certify the election results Tuesday. They were expected to announce the results within five 5 to 10 business days.
Lorena Mongelli has been reporting for Newsday since 2021. Prior to that, she covered breaking news at the New York Post.
