UPDATE: West Islip Schools Bought Software Capable of Affecting Budget Voter Turnout

Update: Richard Simon, Superintendent of West Islip Schools, told Patch Tuesday that the software system purchased last year from Bold by the district has not been used in any way that violates state law.

"West Islip purchased the Bold System last year in order to update and upgrade our management of voter registration and voting records," he said. "We did not use any feature of Bold to share lists during the election day last May. We are very careful to follow all appropriate school election laws."

Original: The West Islip School District is among a number of Long Island districts that used taxpayer funds to purchase computer software that has the ability to influence voters during budget votes, according to a Newsday report.

Public entities are prohibited from spending taxpayer money to target particular voting groups before an election under state law.

The report alleges that West Islip purchased software last year from Bold Systems LLC of Bellport which allows districts to track voter turnout in real time and gives districts the ability to generate call lists of targeted voting demographics, such as PTA members and parents of athletes.

Other nearby districts that purchased the software include Bay Shore, Hauppauge and Sayville.

Each district purchased the software through the Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES).

"When it was brought to our attention that Bold Systems LLC was marketing its services in such a way as to encourage school districts to target specific categories of voters and encourage a 'yes' vote on school budgets, [we] immediately terminated any aspect of the Bold Systems LLC that can be utilized in a manner that violates the spirit and letter of the law," said Gary Bixhorn, chief operating officer of Eastern Suffolk BOCES and Thomas Rogers, superintendent of Nassau BOCES and interim superintendent of Western Suffolk BOCES said in a joint statement.

The statement also said that districts who purchased the software "have conducted their budget elections in complete compliance with the procedures and policies of New York State."

The license to use the software costs each district $6,300 a year, Newsday reports.

West Islip School District's 2013-2014 operating budget will go before voters on Tuesday, May 21. A 50 percent voter approval is needed in order for the budget to pass.

Read the full report here [Subscription required.]

A request for comment from the West Islip School District was not immediately returned Monday. We will post an update when we receive a response.