With a special election slated for this spring to fill the Senate seat formerly occupied by Secretary of State John Kerry, local election departments across the state are scrambling to organize.

Some have asked how much the special election will cost Melrose.

I asked Melrose City Clerk Mary Rita O'Shea about the situation in Melrose.

O'Shea said special elections cost the city about $31,500. So, with a primary scheduled for April 30 and the state election scheduled for June 25, this year's special election will cost Melrose about $63,000. That money pays for things like staffing the polls, police details, supplies and printing the ballots, according to O'Shea.

O'Shea said her department is busy handling several tasks at the moment, including registering new voters, certifying nomination papers, preparing polling locations and compiling census data.

O'Shea anticipates having about 80 election day workers working the eight polling places. There are 14 ward precincts in Melrose, she added.

Voters can cast their ballots from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. during the special election.