All the screaming and shouting is over, and now all we have to do is wait for the election.

    OK, so there wasn’t a lot of media hoopla over the end of voter registration Oct. 11 in Delaware, but it was an important milestone.

    Because of the Columbus Day holiday, the Kent County Elections Office was closed Oct. 13, meaning director Joyce Wright’s staff hadn’t had time to tally up final figures when I called Tuesday morning.

    But it’s been busy, Wright said.

    “We’ve had a lot of new people registering, and a lot of people who’d been purged from the lists coming back in to register,” she said.

    A number of voters also changed their party affiliations, with many shying away from political parties and marking themselves as independents. A lot of people simply came in to update their addresses, Wright said.

    It seems to be a sign that the Nov. 4 election will be a memorable one, if not for who’s running nationally, then in the number of people who may show up at the polls.
    Nationwide, voter registrations also are up, with the edge in party affiliations apparently going to the Democrats. Since most people choose the majority of their candidates from their party of choice, this looks like good news for them.

    But it’s those independent voters presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama have to worry about, since polls show many may not make up their minds until they walk into the voting booth. The candidates also have reason to be concerned with Republicans and Democrats who might vote their party line, but jump the aisle when it comes to selecting who will sit in the Oval Office. A lot of people also register to vote, but don’t bother when it’s time to head to the polls.

    So, things still are in a state of flux, and with one debate left and three weeks of time remaining, just about anything can happen.

    Right now, as far as Wright and her staff are concerned, they’re probably glad they had Monday off to make up for the workload they faced last week, including the extra hours Saturday.

    “It was chaos,” Wright said. “Saturday was very busy, but I think Wednesday to Friday was busier. People had seen our notices and there was a very good turnout.

    “We also had a lot of phone calls, asking, ‘Am I registered?’ ‘How am I registered?’ ‘Where do I go to vote?’” she said.

    Friday was especially hectic, Wright added.

    “We had to eat our lunch in shifts or at our desks,” she said.

    Now it really will get busy for the elections staff, but at least they’ve cleared the registrations hurdle.

    And, of course, that means if you want to vote Nov. 4, it’s too late. You’ll just have to wait another four years.

Email Jeff Brown at jeff.brown@doverpost.com.