Arizona's 2-page ballots could make for long lines on Election Day

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona election officials are warning there could be delays at polling places and vote-counting machines could jam as voters fill out a multipage ballot, an unusual occurrence in the presidential battleground state.

The majority of Arizona voters will receive a two-page ballot that is printed on both sides, marking the first time in nearly two decades that ballots in the state's most populous county have been longer than a single page.

Officials in Maricopa County, which includes Phoenix, say nine of the state’s 15 counties are ditching single-sheet ballots this year in favor of newly designed 17-inch paper ballots. They will vary slightly by county because of the number of local races but will include an average of 79 contests for local, state and federal offices, as well as statewide ballot propositions.

While many other states routinely deal with multipage ballots without issue, any change in voting in Arizona makes for fertile ground for legal challenges and the spread of election conspiracy theories.

The state has been a hotbed of election misinformation since former President Donald Trump narrowly lost to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Public officials who deny the results of that election have populated local election offices and county commissions.

Stephen Richer, the Republican head of elections in Maricopa County who relentlessly defended the legitimacy of Arizona's elections, lost his bid for reelection this summer in the Republican primary.

The switch to a multipage ballot, the first since 2006, has prompted election officials to start educating voters before early voting begins.

Maricopa County Elections Director Scott Jarrett said there will be a record 246 vote centers, up from 175 in the last presidential election, and 8,000 voting booths, up from 5,000.

He is encouraging the estimated 2.1 million voters expected to turn out across Arizona to research races and ballot measures ahead of the Nov. 5 election and decide how they will vote — by mail or in person.

Jack Balson, a 64-year-old Republican retiree from Phoenix, said the longer ballot could dissuade some voters. He plans to cast a vote for president nonetheless.

“Make things hard, tie up lines and people will turn around and go home," he said.

A long ballot won’t faze first-time independent voter Ahmad Tamini.

“I really don’t mind the questions,” said Tamini, a 23-year-old nursing student at Phoenix College.

In northern Arizona, Coconino County officials are also encouraging voters to plan ahead. Some in the city of Page will receive a two-page, four-sided ballot that could contribute to long lines on Election Day.

Arizona officials anticipate that more than a million people will vote early using mail ballots and between 625,000 and 730,000 voters will drop off their ballots on Nov. 5, with the rest voting in person.

“What voters should know is it will take them longer to complete the ballot, just because there’s so many more questions,” Jarrett said.

He estimated it would take most voters between nine and 13 minutes to complete their ballot, but some could take as long as two hours.

Jarrett warned that vote tabulation machines could jam in Maricopa County because voters will have to insert two sheets of paper instead of one when casting their ballots. Poll workers are receiving extra training on how to address problems with the tabulators and quell any concerns raised by voters.

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Gabriel Sandoval is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.