They stepped inside the red-white-and-blue privacy booths at the Campbell County Clerk's Office, and Lenora voted for President Bush. Larry wasn't saying.

The Mudds and thousands of other early voters are wearing out area election workers this month. Energized voters are phoning them about absentee ballots, mailing in requests for absentee ballots, and then calling again to check on their ballots' status.

"It's been very hectic," said Dan Bare, director of Clermont County's Board of Elections. "We've already exceeded the highest number of absentees we've ever had in an election."

The 2000 election set a record for mail and walk-in voters, with about 5,200, he said. "We'll probably see about 7,200 or 7,300 when it's done."

As for those who walk in to vote, "It's a continuous flow. Sometimes they're stacked up 5, 6, 7 people deep," Bare said.

ABSENTEE VOTE

Campbell County: Vote 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays. Phone (859) 292-3845. Kenton County: Vote 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday; and 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays at the Clerk's Office on the first floor of 303 Court St. Phone (859) 392-1600. Boone County: Vote 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Thursday and Friday; 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays at the Burlington Courthouse. Phone (859) 334-2108.

Kenton County Clerk Bill Aylor said "I've never seen one this heavy, although we hit almost 3,000 (absentee ballots) last presidential election. They're starting earlier, and they're more concerned." People are calling for a voting application one day, and if it isn't in the mail the next, "they'll call again."

In Boone County, Deputy Clerk Charlene Spingler said workers were "busy with a capital B. In seven days we have voted 473 that have walked in the office.

"As of yesterday, we have sent out a total of 546 absentee ballots, and we just have lots of requests that are still out," she said.

Voters are sent an application that must be mailed back, completed, and then ballots are mailed.

"I have never in my 26 years here witnessed election activity like this," said Butler County Board of Elections Deputy Director Betty McGary.

"The voters that come in, they're excited."

Her office, which hired 33 part-time employees, is open its regular hours, but workers are busy behind closed doors after office hours from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

Campbell County Deputy Clerk Nancy Rogers said 454 people had already voted absentee in the office "and we have sent out 734 paper ballots."

By 11:20 a.m. Thursday, 27 had already voted, and "we had 53 yesterday," she said.

In Hamilton County, Pam Swafford, deputy director of the Hamilton County Board of Elections, said, "We're overwhelmed with the mail." She said her office had mailed about 36,000 absentee ballots in 2000. They already have 40,000 registered for absentee ballots this year.

"I sometimes wonder how we're going to get it all done, but we will," she said. "We always do."

It's nice to see so many people voting, said Campbell County Clerk Jack Snodgrass, president of the Kentucky County Clerks Association. He teamed with counterparts in Kenton and Boone counties to buy newspaper ads that informed voters about now lapsed voter-registration deadlines and how to vote absentee.

Ads later this month will warn voters about the longer lines they may experience Nov. 2.

"We're past the heartwarming stage, because county clerks throughout the state are overwhelmed," especially in smaller counties, Snodgrass said.

"We're keeping up," said Rae Jean Poe, the clerk in Bracken County. "We're just fine. The busier we are, the better, so I don't mind at all."

Aside from people with disabilities, those who will be out of town Nov. 2 may vote absentee. The Mudds have a medical reason for missing the Election Day vote.

"He's having some surgery today, and we wanted to make sure he was able to vote after the operation," said Lenora Mudd, 44.

Jean Stamper, 67, of Wilder, walked outside the Campbell County Clerk's Office Thursday morning, but she was not on her way to vote, she said. Her husband, Norman, will undergo chemotherapy treatment that day.

"I suggested voting absentee, and he said no. He wants to pull that lever."

The Stampers will vote for Sen. John Kerry, and state Sen. Daniel Mongiardo, the Democrat challenging U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning, she said.

But because Campbell County moved to an electronic voting system several years ago, he will cast his vote by pressing the green "vote" button rather than pulling a lever, election officials said.