Next week probably will be the busiest nonelection week of the year for the Allegheny County Division of Elections.

That's because 5 p.m. Monday is the deadline for residents to register to vote in the Nov. 2 presidential election.

Typically there's a spike in voter registration in a presidential election year, and this year is no different, said Mark Wolosik, county elections director.

Through mid-September, the county had registered more than 40,000 new voters and thousands more are expected to file for registration between now and Monday's deadline. The new registrants include 21,859 Democrats, 9,369 Republicans, and 9,265 independents or members of minor parties.

Groups such as the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now and America Coming Together have done extensive door-to-door registration drives and had representatives at almost every summer festival or event that drew a crowd.

"It's busy and we've got a week to go," Wolosik said yesterday. "For the first time I'm aware of, some of these groups are employing people to register voters. There were groups filing registration cards even before the primary."

Because of the heavy volume of work and the limited time between the close of registration and the election, the county hires temporary workers to supplement the regular staff, Wolosik said. The staff generally is able to process new registrants and mail out voter identification cards within a few days, but occasionally there are delays or misplaced forms.

One common practice, he said, is for groups to hold onto registration forms until they have a large amount and file them all at once. That could mean a new voter won't receive an identification card for more than a month after he signed the form.

Anyone interested in registering to vote can obtain a form at almost any public building such as municipal buildings, banks, libraries and post offices, as well as at the elections division office on the fifth floor of the County Office Building on Ross Street, Downtown. The form also can be obtained online at www.county.allegheny.pa.us by going to the information center, then clicking on "Voter Registration" and following instructions.

Newly registered voters are not required to have their voter identification card to vote, but the first time they vote in a precinct, poll workers may ask for some form of identification such as a driver's license or Social Security card.

The registration period ends Monday, but anyone in line at 5 p.m. will be allowed to register. Mail registrations must be postmarked by Monday.