Votebeat: Arizona Prepares for Hassles of a Two-page November Ballot

Jen Fifield reports for Votebeat that election officials are planning ahead for paper problems and higher costs, but they’re holding out hope that they can stick to a single sheet.

For most Arizona counties, it would be the first time in recent history that the ballot has enough contests to spill onto a second sheet. That’s in large part because state lawmakers are expected to refer an unusually large number of measures to be decided by voters.

Election officials won’t know for certain what’s on the ballot until July or August, and the length will vary by county. But a second page is likely enough that they’ve already begun testing it, hoping that careful planning will help them avoid the problems second pages have caused elsewhere.

The directors are printing ballots and running them through tabulators two at a time, conducting mock elections, and updating one another in monthly meetings. Some are calling around to other states where multi-page ballots are commonly used to ask for advice.

Election administrators and voting experts from two of those states, Florida and Texas, told Votebeat that planning ahead and extensive testing are key.

Keep reading at Votebeat.