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Last Updated: October 21, 2011

Election staff numbers in the Town are expected to double in 2012, compared to 2008 election numbers.

Clerk Kim Banigan says the best thing that voters can bring to the polls is their patience.

The addition of a second assembly district in the Town and a new law requiring voters to show identification prior to voting are the primary reasons for the increased need, which is expected to increase the Town’s election budget by $3,200 to $8,000 in 2012.

A recent mock election conducted by the city of Madison brought some insight into what the Town might face come next fall’s presidential election. 

“The city clerk said it was taking two minutes per elector by the time they verified voter ID and put their signature on the pole list,” said Town Clerk Kim Banigan, speaking of information she received about the mock election.  Banigan explained that it’s not just about checking to see if the person pictured on the ID is the person in front of them, but also ensuring that the ID is valid. And IDs that have expired within a certain period are considered valid for voting purposes, which is another wrinkle in the law that Banigan said could add to an already labor intensive process. 

“It’s just crazy how detailed you have to look,” said Banigan.  “Plus ID could be a passport, it could be naturalization papers, things you’re not used to looking at.  There is going to be a lot of training.”

Another element that will challenge Town poll workers will be the addition of a second assembly district to the Town after the redistricting that was put in place over the summer.  This will require two lines (one for each district) at the Town Hall.  In addition to that there is also talk of alphabetically splitting lists within those districts.  “I have always resisted splitting the list,” said Banigan.  “Anytime I have gone to anything where they have the alphabet split, my half is always out the door and everybody else is breezing right through.”

There is talk of doing countywide mock elections like what was done in Madison, which Banigan said would be excellent training for the workers.  But regardless of the amount of extra training, personnel and money that might come next year, she still stressed the need for patience.

"It's just going to take more time; there is no way around that. If voters are understanding, and remain patient and calm, it will all work out fine, but if not, it will add a lot more stress for everyone."