Maricopa County’s Complex Two-Page Ballot Sparks Early Troubles and Potential Future Issues

Arizona’s lengthy ballot has already led to minor delays in Maricopa County’s early voting process, raising concerns as Election Day approaches. For the first time in nearly two decades, officials are utilizing a two-sheet ballot, with an average of 79 contests. While election officials anticipated some challenges, the reality of these issues has begun to surface.

Votebeat reports that mail ballot deliveries saw a slight delay, prompting the county to seek additional overnight workers. Voter apprehensions about potential long lines and paper jams at polling places are also starting to emerge, as challenges with ballot tracking heighten anxiety. These complications could become focal points for post-election scrutiny.

In early October, the U.S. Postal Service began processing 1.9 million ballots for Maricopa County voters. With the new, bulkier envelopes, delivery logistics faced complications. A county spokesperson noted that this added weight allowed fewer ballots to be transported at one time. Although USPS claimed the delays were minimal—around one day—voters reported longer waiting times. Notably, 133 calls were made to the Election Protection hotline to inquire about ballot statuses, with many voters expressing concern over delays exceeding one day.

Upon returning ballots, significant delays occurred during the verification process. Workers took longer than anticipated to confirm voter signatures, extract ballots, lay them flat, and check each for damage. In response, the county has enlisted additional county workers to expedite operations and has initiated a new overnight shift to ensure continuous progress at the tabulation center.

While county supervisors had earlier predicted the need for increased resources due to the lengthy ballot, the extent of modifications only became clear in August. In response, the elections department has expanded the number of vote centers, from a planned 230-235 to a new total of 246. Nonetheless, challenges from the Republican National Committee and GOP congressional candidate Abe Hamadeh indicated that these preparations may not suffice. They raised fears about the potential for long lines and disenfranchisement due to delays on Election Day.

Requests for an emergency meeting to discuss additional measures were denied by county officials. The Deputy County Attorney stated that the county had already taken proactive steps to address the anticipated issues, dismissing the cited objections as based on information from a “discredited organization.”

Concerns about ballot tracking have surfaced, particularly regarding the handling of dual-page ballots. Some voters might inadvertently return only one page, complicating the reconciliation of ballots cast versus voters recorded. Elections Director Scott Jarrett assured voters that while there is no obligation to return both pages, officials would document how many pages each envelope contains. Additionally, measures have been instituted to accommodate the increased volume of paper—potentially doubling from 2.1 million to 4.2 million sheets—indicating that Maricopa County is prepared to meet the challenges ahead.