At the end of the day, Friday, the ballots will have been cast, with counting to begin Monday. The Service Employees International Union appears confident it will be representing some state workers soon. Ballots were mailed the middle of this month to nearly 2,000 state workers and must be returned by 5 o’clock this Friday evening. About 1,200 probation and parole workers are deciding whether the union will represent them. Also, 350 workers from Employment Security and 335 from Workforce Development have been mailed ballots. In late June, Governor Bob Holden signed an executive order granting collective bargaining rights to many state workers.