With many residents already casting their absentee ballots, and in anticipation of a record number of voters heading to the polls Nov. 2, the City of Madison has hired twice the normal number of poll workers to staff the ballot boxes on Election Day.
While Chief City Clerk Sharon Christensen said she does not expect any glitches Tuesday, she acknowledged processing so many ballots will be a challenge, adding the city has already processed 17,500 absentee ballots.
\I think one of the problems will be the number of people that are going to be there to do poll watching,"" she said. ""There are just going to be so many of them. A lot of polling places are relatively small. To try and facilitate and get everyone in so they can observe may be a little challenge for some of them.""
While Christensen said the city has not been encouraging residents to vote absentee to reduce stress on poll workers, she said she thinks many residents have chosen to do so for convenience.
Dane County Clerk Joe Parisi agreed, saying the number of absentee ballot requests has increased the cost of this election for local governments.
Christensen said the city will not know how much the payroll of the 2004 elections will be until after the election, but added, if the costs exceed expectations the clerk's office will go to the City Council and ask for a transfer of funds.
If large numbers of people flood the polls Tuesday, many of the absentee ballots may not be processed until after 8 p.m. Parisi said Wisconsin residents should know the election results by 1 or 2 a.m. Nov. 3, although he said it largely depends on the closeness of the election in other regions of the country. Numerous swing states, including Florida, may face recounts if results appear to be close.
Christensen stressed all voters should bring a form of identification and proof of address with them when they head to the polls. State Elections Board Director Kevin Kennedy, in a recent interview with The Daily Cardinal, agreed, adding voters who do not have a current Wisconsin driver's license should bring a utility bill with their name and address listed.
""People just need to be patient,"" Parisi said. ""They need to realize a quarter of a million people are going to the polls over a 13-hour period. It's like going to a Badger game.\
