Mineola board sets May 19 district election; one member records opposition

The Mineola Union Free School District board voted Feb. 26 to set its annual election and budget vote for Tuesday, May 19, 2026, approving logistics, notices and staffing arrangements in a motion identified as Resolution 74.

The resolution approved the date and specified that polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Minola Synergy Building, 2400 Jericho Turnpike, Garden City Park. It authorized the district clerk to make arrangements for voter registration, rental and delivery of voting machines, and publication of required notices in local papers. The resolution also set a public budget hearing for 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 7 and designated Wednesday, May 20 at 3:00 p.m. for canvassing affidavit ballots.

A trustee raised an annual protest about using a single polling location, saying it can be difficult for elderly voters who live in the northern parts of the district to travel to the Synergy Building; the board discussed the availability of absentee and early mail ballots and historical safety reasons for locating the vote away from student activity areas.

Clerk Cindy Vez announced the vote passed and that there was "one opposed," but did not identify who cast the dissenting vote in the recorded transcript.

Practical notes: The board also began accepting nominating petitions for board candidates on March 9 in the district clerk's office at the Synergy Building, and the district will post election notices and registration information on its website, the clerk said.