Following the tremendous influx of absentee ballots for the Aug. 11 state primary and anticipating unprecedented mail-in voting come November, Madison is already taking significant steps to prepare for what will certainly be a historically unique and challenging election.

With the state still figuring out new procedures to address some of the many issues that arose in August and putting more responsibility on local officials rather than contracted mail houses, Town Clerk Nancy Martucci said her office and everyone at Town Campus will be ready to pitch in and make sure Madison voters can cast ballots safely and successfully.

“We’re already in this process; we’re already receiving applications,” Martucci said. “We’re anticipating an unprecedented amount of absentee ballots...Applications are continually being received and we’re issuing ballots right up until the day before the election.”

More than 2,000 residents cast absentee ballots this past August—almost 10 times the number that did in 2016, the last presidential primary.

All Connecticut residents should receive an absentee ballot application from the secretary of the state sometime in mid-September, Martucci said, likely sent between Sept. 8 and 11, which can be filled out and either mailed to the Town Clerk’s Office or dropped off at the secure box at town campus.

In August, Martucci said she and her employees simply entered voter information into an online system and a state-contracted mail house sent the actual ballots to residents who applied for them.

But now, after that system saw significant delays and issues all around Connecticut, Martucci said the state is now asking town clerks to physically prepare and mail ballots themselves, adding one more labor-intensive step to their work.

“My staff will be working overtime,” Martucci said. “I will have additional people working with us just for the data entry, to meet the goals of what’s needed.”

But labor is just one of the many challenges that lie ahead. By state statute, ballots and applications must remain in the town hall in secured locations, meaning that physical space—desks to work at, places to set up and connect computers—will be important when attempting to make sure all ballot requests are processed in a timely manner.

Martucci said she has already spoken to First Selectman Peggy Lyons about these issues, and has her “blessing” and to set up workstations and deskspace in both the vault where the town stores maps, deeds, and other important documents, as well as a conference room in Town Campus, which will remained locked and secured when not in use.

Because of this sprawl, Martucci said the clerk’s office will be entirely closed to any outside visitors starting around Sept. 14 at least through the election on Nov. 3.

Since town offices are still closed to the public, Martucci said she did not anticipate this restriction causing significant issues, and that she and her staff have already been able to accommodate those who need licenses or need to view documents by meeting them outside the office, or even the building.

“We’re keeping everything moving,” Martucci said.

Even with the increased space and staffing, Martucci said that Madison officials know that some aspects of the process remain out of their hands—namely, the mail and materials that only the state can supply.

Martucci said she had essentially zero worries about the abilities and dedication of local Post Office workers, and has been “working very closely” with local distribution centers. That whole process, though it necessarily takes more time, is “seamless” and “very secure,” she said.

Any resident who can should still drop their application and ballot directly in the box at Town Campus, Martucci said, just in order to speed everything up, as waiting until the last minute puts more strain on both town employees and the postal service.

Another issue that has caused some concern is the ability of the state to deliver necessary materials. Martucci said ideally right now, her staff would be preparing envelopes and instructions together in order to more efficiently push out each ballot as they are requested.

Oct. 2 is the earliest the state allows ballots to actually be sent out to the voters, though having all the prep work done could mean voters get them much sooner, taking pressure off of town employees. But Martucci said those materials will not be shipped until Sept. 15, and might not arrive until a week after that, meaning this prep work will simply have to wait, even with applications already piling up.

“I need those supplies for my people here to get...as many ready as possible, and to keep things moving so we can start mailing out ballots,” Martucci said. “But we don’t have anything. We’re sitting here. So again, the state has held us up.”

The Secretary of the State’s Office has yet to hold a conference call with town clerks, Martucci said, despite indications that this would happen soon.

Martucci said because of these tight deadlines, she was planning on significantly more hours and staffing for the month between Oct. 2 and Nov. 3. But in case there are other delays, technical issues, or an even higher number of ballot requests than anticipated, the town does have a Plan B, according to Martucci.

Though that plan isn’t yet fully defined, Martucci said Lyons and Human Resources Director Deb Milardo have authorized her to temporarily conscript town employees from other departments in an emergency, to assist her office in making sure ballot applications are processed in time and everyone receives their ballots in time to vote.

The town is also capable of processing applications and sending ballots even without the computer system, meaning that a complete loss of that system would not entirely prevent ballots from going out, Martucci said.

“We always have a backup plan,” Martucci said. “Part of that is experience. We will make it work, no matter what.”

But even with these assurances, Martucci made sure to point out that in-person polling will still be available this November in Madison “fully staffed,” and that the town has “done everything according to state guidelines to make sure [polling] locations are following all the covid restrictions.”

The District 1 polling location is now the Polson Middle School gym, having been moved from the Senior Center. The District 2 polling location is Brown Intermediate School.

Residents can also print out an absentee ballot application right now from the town clerk’s website at www.madisonct.org.