Dear Editor,
The O-A school budget passed 65 percent to 35 percent (709 to 385). Then how can I say that 109 to 385 was really only about 8 to 4 percent? About a week prior to the budget vote I went to the O-A district office specifically to ask how many people were eligible to vote. They told me “about 9,000”, so I am considering 9,000 at 100 percent. Other numbers, which I quote, have appeared in newspapers, etc.
The total number of votes cast (1,094) is about 12 percent of 9,000. Of these there were 709 yes votes, or about 8 percent. There were 385 no votes, or about 4 percent. Is it a good budget because only 4 percent voted against it? Or is it a poor budget because only 8 percent voted for it?
Either way, it was decided by about 12 percent of eligible voters. The other 88 percent, or about 7,900 eligible voters did not care one way or the other. I was one of the 12 percent.
We live in a democracy, so “How did you vote” is your business, but “Did you vote?” should be the business of all of us.
Sincerely,
Karl Tiemann
Owego, N.Y.
