It is indeed a fair score of words, but I think the higher limits were needed in order to allow the authors to present the stories they wanted to tell.
It really won't be too bad if you pace yourself. Read two stories per day -- maybe one on the crapper, and one before bed, and you'll be done well before the voting deadline.
I really would rather people not vote at all if they can't take the time to read all the stories, but of course there is no way to enforce this.