Put in for some vacation time if you plan to vote during early voting, which begins Monday. Election officials say it could take up to 30 minutes to mark the historically long ballot.

Early voting will be held daily, except Sunday, Oct. 26, from Monday through Friday, Oct. 31.

Voting locations:• Centennial Hall, 200 S. Cascade, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.• Chapel Hills Mall, Suite 179, below the food court, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.• Citadel Mall, Suite 3124, near JC Penney, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

El Paso County election manager Liz Olson urges voters to come prepared because voters have reported it takes up to a half hour to mark the ballot due to the large number of issues.

Registered voters may request a mail ballot for the Nov. 4 election or on a permanent basis. Applications must be received by Tuesday, Oct. 28. Voters have until 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 to complete the application and pick up a mail ballot at the Centennial Hall election office.

Mail ballots must be received at the clerk’s office no later than 7 p.m. on election Day.

Polling place voting will be held from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. For polling places: http://car.elpasoco.com/Election then link to “2008 Elections” and “2008 Polling Places.”

Voters also may call the Election Department at 575-VOTE.

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Win or lose, Bidlack’s staying

Fifth Congressional District challenger Hal Bidlack said during an interview this week that he won’t take “no” for an answer.

If incumbent Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn wins a second term, Bidlack plans to make another run in 2010.

“No matter what happens (Nov. 4),” the retired Air Force lieutenant colonel said, “I will try to be a leading figure on the issues in the next two years.”

Bidlack again scolded Lamborn for not showing up at community events this week. “Mr. Lamborn’s constant failure to appear says he doesn’t believe the voters of CD-5 are smart enough to notice,” Bidlack’s campaign said in a release.

The two are slated to square off for the one and only debate on Oct. 30 at a Falcon Republican Club meeting, days before the election and after most voters will have cast their ballots early or by mail.

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Developers group likes Lamborn

The Housing and Building Association of Colorado Springs has endorsed Lamborn for Congress.

The Lamborn campaign said the HBA said it was looking forward to working with Lamborn on issues such as the creation of jobs, the expansion of Fort Carson, the completion of the Southern Delivery System water pipeline and working to control government regulation to the detriment of affordable housing.

Lamborn’s office also announced Friday, in breathless prose, that he’s been honored as a champion of national defense by the Center for Security Policy.

“This distinction is a great honor,” the release quotes Lamborn. “I am grateful that an organization as respected as the Center for Security Policy has recognized my efforts to support the ongoing fight against Jihadist terror, recapitalize our strategic forces, and ensure the defense of the homeland.”

The “distinction” Lamborn picked up was also bestowed on more than a third of his House colleagues for their pro-defense votes. Of the 435 members in the chamber, 155 were named “Champions” by the center.

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Mail-in ballots a weighty issue

The perennial question about mail-in ballots is back again: How much postage do they need? Election officials recommend 59 cents. It sounds simple enough, but as with everything in elections there are a few wrinkles. For one thing, a first-class stamp is 42 cents, so someone who uses two of them is wasting a quarter. And what about people required to include a copy of an ID with the ballot? Wouldn’t the extra page make the package heavier and require more postage?

El Paso County’s election manager, Liz Olson, said the extra paper made no difference when she tested it on a postal scale. But she was reluctant to say that test will hold for everyone.

“It depends on the weight of the paper that they’re copying it on,” she said. “I certainly can’t guarantee everybody that if they have to add an additional piece of paper that it’s still going to be 59 cents. I just know what I did.”

Many mail-in voters add a little more than 59 cents just to be safe. Voters may also hand-deliver the ballot to the election office to be double sure of no mixups with mail delivery.

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