It’s fortunate for Allegany County election officials that the state’s next primary election is still nearly a year away. There is plenty of work to be done to get ready for early voting in the 2010 election.

Maryland voters approved a referendum last year to authorize early voting in the state. The result could be that about 8,000 Allegany County voters, or 20 percent of the total eligible, will cast their ballots days before election day.

The 2010 primary election will be held Sept. 14. But early voting will take place at the County Office Complex on Kelly Road from Sept. 3 through Sept. 9.

The 2010 general election will be held Nov. 2. Early voting for that election will take place at the Kelly Road location from Oct. 22 to Oct. 28.

Kitty Davis, administrator for the local election board, said there is plenty of work to be done to prepare for the new voting process.

Early voters can cast ballots from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day, including Saturdays, and for the primary election, Labor Day. Elections board members and election judges can’t truly begin their work until the state determines which voting system is to be used. An October training was postponed because, Davis said, there’s not sufficient information to distribute. Training now is planned for May.

Aside from technical concerns, Davis said there is reason to be concerned about the number of computer-savvy judges available to work for early voting. Many of those judges are otherwise employed, she said, and “may not be available.”

Allegany County elections officials are hardly alone in worrying about complying with the new voting rules. Only one other county, Carroll, has a designated early voting location approved by the state board.

Davis and her election workers have had a stellar record in the past in making sure Allegany County’s voting process runs smoothly. We have no doubt the team will rise to the occasion again.

In the end, the effort will be well worth while. Early voting should give people ample opportunity to get to the polls and, we hope, result in a higher-than-usual turnout percentage.