Pity the poor registrars. In the midst of an on-again, off-again, once-in-a-century change in voting technology, an unprecedented hurry-up recall of a governor that could attract a record number of candidates has been thrust upon them. Except for the fact that the leadership of the free world is not up for grabs -- a piece of very good news -- a Florida-size debacle looms.

Just count the administrative challenges. Between Aug. 13, the last day the secretary of state can certify candidates for the recall ballot, and Election Day, Oct. 7, 2003, counties must prepare, proof, print and deliver 15 million sample and actual ballots; arrange for approximately 25,000 polling places; and recruit some 100,000 poll workers. Thousands of voting machines have to be tested and deployed as well, and all this in about two-thirds the time usually allotted to prepare for a statewide election and while legal uncertainties abound about whether and how the replacement election is to be conducted.

Normally, a list of candidates is certified 80 days before balloting. The list of Davis' potential replacements should he be recalled won't be certified until 55 days prior to the election. That's three and a half weeks less time to proof-read, set and print ballots. (Incidentally, Sacramento County has to proof and print its ballots in English and Spanish. Los Angeles must do so in seven different languages.)

Counties will have 3 1/2 weeks less time to get out sample ballots, which in turn will squeeze the time to get requests for absentee ballots back to the registrars' offices, the ballots out to absentee voters and the voted absentee ballots back to the registrars in time for processing on election day.

Ernie Hawkins, Sacramento County's registrar, who retires this week -- fortunately, he's planning to stick around to help out for the recall -- worries about getting ballots out to overseas voters. With so many California soldiers serving in the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, that is expected to be an especially important and difficult chore this year.

And time is not the only enemy. Because so many counties were in the midst of buying new voting systems, a number of them will be conducting elections on machines neither their voting officials nor voters have ever used before. When the courts ruled that punch-card systems could no longer be used in California after this year, Shasta County scrapped its punch cards and bought touch-screen machines. Not all the new voting equipment has arrived yet. No matter. Shasta, which had planned to train workers and test its new equipment on Oct. 7, will be conducting a statewide recall election on that day instead.

Sacramento had planned to replace its punch cards with an optical scanner device in time for next year's March presidential primary. But the optical scanners aren't ready to be deployed, so Sacramento is preparing to drag out the old punch-card machines one more time.

Finally, there is the cost. A bill is supposed to be introduced in the state Legislature to reimburse the counties, but for now the counties are on the hook. Sacramento will spend an estimated $1.5 million to put on the recall election. Statewide, counties will pay an estimated $35 million in all.

So, while registrars have been asked to do the nearly impossible, their counties have been asked to pay for it.

Good luck to them. They are cetainly going to need it.