PHOENIX — Arizona election officials are warning of potential delays at polling places and jammed vote-counting machines as voters fill out multi-page ballots in the presidential battleground state. That's unusual.

The majority of Arizona voters will receive a two-page ballot printed on both sides, marking the first time in nearly 20 years that the state's most populous county has had a ballot longer than one page.

Eight of the state's 15 counties plan to use two-page ballots, a spokeswoman for the Arizona Secretary of State's office said. Ballots also incorporate local contests, so the exact length varies even within a single county. The Maricopa County ballot alone will feature an average of 79 contests in local, state and federal elections and statewide ballot proposals.

While many other states routinely deal with multi-page ballots without issue, any change to voting in Arizona would create a breeding ground for legal challenges and the proliferation of election conspiracy theories.

The state has long been a hotbed of election misinformation. President Donald Trump lost by a narrow margin. Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Public officials denying the election results invaded local election offices and county commissions.

RELATED: Maricopa Board approves record number of voting centers for November

Stephen Richer, Maricopa County's Republican elections director, has relentlessly defended the integrity of Arizona's elections. I lost his bid. He will seek re-election in this summer's Republican primary.

Election officials began educating voters before early voting began as Maricopa County switched to multi-page ballots for the first time since 2006.

Maricopa County Elections Director Scott Jarrett said there will be a record 246 polling locations (compared to 175 in the last presidential election) and 5,000 to 8,000 polling locations.

He encouraged the estimated 2.1 million voters expected to vote across Maricopa County to research their race and voting method ahead of the Nov. 5 election and decide whether to vote by mail or in person. There is.

Jack Balson, 64, a retired Republican who lives in Phoenix, said the longer voting period could deter some voters. Still, he plans to vote for the president.

“If you tighten things up and line up, people will turn around and go home,” he said.

Ahmad Tamini, who is voting as an independent for the first time, is not daunted by the long voting process.

“I really don't mind the questions,” said Tamini, 23, a nursing student at the University of Phoenix.

In northern Arizona, Coconino County officials are also encouraging voters to plan ahead. Some people in Page will receive two-page, four-sided ballots, which could lead to long lines on Election Day.

Maricopa County officials expect more than 1 million people to vote early by mail, 625,000 to 730,000 voters to drop off their ballots on Nov. 5, and the rest to vote in person. are.

“What voters need to know is that it will take some time to complete their ballot simply because there are still so many questions,” Jarrett said.

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

Jarrett warned that vote tabulation machines could become clogged in Maricopa County because voters must insert two pieces of paper instead of one to cast a ballot. Poll workers receive additional training on how to address problems with tabulation machines and quell concerns raised by voters.

This article has been updated to correct the number of counties with two-page ballots and to clarify that some voting information applies only to Maricopa County, not the entire state of Arizona.

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.

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