Sacramento State’sspring elections this year saw a record turnout of 4,985 ballotscast, almost more than twice last year’s turnout of2,648.

The vote tabulationprocess lasted until 4:35 a.m. Thursday morning. Pat Worley,executive director for ASI, said results for past elections havetypically been ready by 11 p.m. and that she spent all of Wednesdaynight and much of Thursday morning not knowing herself when theprocess would be completed.

She saidRobbin Johnson, president of Pacific Election Services, ran thevoting operation and resisted setting a specific time that thecounting would be finished because it was impossible to predictwith certainty.

“When he told me things would take longer I thought max1:30 a.m.,” Worley said.

Therecord-breaking voter turnout forced election officials to use 700make-shift paper ballots, all of which had to be counted byhand.

Johnson said he realized he was in danger of runningshort of ballots after the first day’s turnout of 2,600ballots cast. He said he found himself at Kinko’s at 1 a.m.Wednesday morning printing 1,500 copies of paper ballots to ensureno voter was disenfranchised.

“Iwasn’t aware that they were going to have such anextraordinary turnout,” Johnson said.

Worleysaid this election’s turnout was an anomaly that she creditedto student interest in voting on Measure 1, which passed with 55.2percent and approved the construction of the Recreation, Wellnessand Events Center. She said Sac State will not see a similarelection turnout until another high-profile measure gets on theballot.

Worleysaid Johnson did print far more than his usual amount of ballotsfor Sac State but both she and Johnson said they agreed that therepossibly could have been better communication between ASI andPacific Elections regarding the expected spike in voterturnout.

ASIcampaigned aggressively for the RWEC with quad rallies and pressinterviews. Worley said she didn’t know yet exactly how muchmoney ASI spent promoting the measure. She approved $4,000 but saidshe only has documentation for $1,400 with receipts still comingin.

Johnsonsaid he hadn’t yet finalized the amount he would be chargingASI for his company’s services but he quoted a subtotal of$22,457 before sales tax and freight costs, according to a bid hegave ASI on March 12.