Voting In Arizona

To be eligible to vote in Arizona you must be… Click to learn more

To be eligible to vote in Arizona you must be:

• A U.S. citizen
• A resident of Arizona
• 18 years of age or older on or before the day of the general election
• Not convicted of a felony or have had your civil rights restored
• Not adjudicated incompetent

If this is your first time registering to vote in Arizona or you have moved to another county in Arizona… Click to learn more

If this is your first time registering to vote in Arizona or you have moved to another county in Arizona, your voter registration form must also include proof of citizenship or the form will be rejected.

The following will serve as proof of citizenship and no additional documents are needed:

• An Arizona driver license or non-operating identification number issued after October 1, 1996: write the number in box 13 of the Arizona Voter Registration form
• A Tribal Identification number (Bureau of Indian Affairs Card Number, Tribal Treaty Card Number, or Tribal Enrollment Number): write the number in box 16 of the Arizona Voter Registration form
• The number from your certificate of naturalization: write the number in box 20 of the Arizona Voter Registration form

If not, you must attach proof of citizenship to the form. Only one acceptable form of proof is needed to register to vote. The following is a list of acceptable documents to establish your citizenship:

• A legible photocopy of a birth certificate that verifies citizenship and supporting legal documentation (i.e. marriage certificate) if the name on the birth certificate is not the same as your current legal name
• A legible photocopy of pertinent pages of a United States passport identifying the applicant
• Presentation to the County Recorder of United States naturalization documents
• A legible photocopy of a driver license or non-operating identification from another state within the United States if the license indicates that the applicant has provided satisfactory proof of citizenship
• A legible photocopy of a Tribal Certificate of Indian Blood or Tribal or Bureau of Indian Affairs Affidavit of Birth.

If you are registered in Arizona and use the registration form because you move within a county, change your name, or change your political party affiliation, you do not need to provide photocopies of proof of citizenship. You only need to provide proof of citizenship if you are a new resident in an Arizona county.

You will be required to show proof of identity at the polling place before receiving a ballot… Click to learn more

You will be required to show proof of identity at the polling place before receiving a ballot. You will announce your name and place of residence to the election official and present one form of identification that bears your name, address, and photograph or two different forms of identification that bear your name and address. An identification is "valid" unless it can be determined on its face that it has expired.

Acceptable forms of identification with photograph, name, and address:

• Valid Arizona driver's license
• Valid Arizona non-operating identification license
• Tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification
• Valid U.S. federal, state, or local government issued ID

Acceptable forms of identification without a photograph that bear your name and address (two required):

• Utility bill that is dated within 90 days of the date of the election. A utility bill may be for electric, gas, water, solid waste, sewer, telephone, cellular phone, or cable television
• Bank or credit union statement that is dated within 90 days of the date of the election
• Valid Arizona Vehicle Registration
• Indian census card
• Property tax statement of your residence
• Tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification
• Recorder's certificate
• Valid U.S. federal, state, or local government issued ID, including a voter registration card issued by the county recorder

The registration deadline is 29 days before for an election.

To verify your voter registration status, please contact your county recorder.

There is no excuse required to use an absentee ballot in Arizona… Click to learn more

There is no excuse required to use an absentee ballot in Arizona. Arizona allows the federal write-in absentee ballot (FWAB) to be used in a primary, general or special election where federal offices will be elected. In order to be eligible to use the FWAB, the county recorder must receive your request for a regular early ballot before 7:00 pm on Election Day and you must not have received that ballot.

A FWAB will not be counted if the application for the regular early ballot is received after 7:00 pm on Election Day or if your regular early ballot is received by the county recorder by 7:00 pm on Election Day.

Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the Overseas Voter Foundation.

Early voting is available in Arizona… Click to learn more

Early voting is available in Arizona. In-Person Early Voting begins 33 days before Election Day for the Primary and General Election (October 2, 2008), and ends at 5:00 pm on the Friday before Election Day (October 31, 2008). A voter may vote early in person at the County Recorder’s office or on-site voting locations designated by the county recorder.

A voter may also vote early by mail. An elector may make a request by telephone, mail, or email to the County Recorder for an official early ballot beginning 93 days before an election. Early ballots are mailed to voters requesting an early mail-in ballot beginning 33 days before the Primary and General Elections. Early voting for the Presidential Preference Election begins 26 days before the election. The deadline for requesting an early ballot to be mailed is 5:00 p.m. on the second Friday before the election. If the request is oral (in person or by telephone), the requesting elector shall provide the date of birth and state or country of birth or other information that if compared to the voter registration information on file will confirm the identity of the elector. Requests in writing should include the voter’s name and address as registered, birth date, election for which the ballot is requested, address where the ballot is to be mailed, and signature. The voter’s signature on the early ballot affidavit is compared to the voter’s signature on the voter’s registration form.

Early ballots will be counted if returned to the County Recorder or other officer in charge of elections by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. County Recorders’ offices will remain open until 7:00 p.m. on Election Day to accept early ballots. Early ballots may also be dropped off at any polling place in the voter’s county of residence no later than 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.

Emergency early voting is permitted if an unforeseen circumstance occurs that would prevent an elector from voting at the polling place. Voters who encounter an emergency occurring after 5:00 p.m. on the second Friday before the election should contact their County Recorder for the procedure for emergency early voting.

The next statewide election will be held Tuesday, August 24, 2010. Please check with your local board of elections office for information on local elections.

In order to be a poll worker in Arizona… Click to learn more

In order to be a poll worker in Arizona:

• You must be registered to vote in Arizona
• You must be at least 18 years of age
• You must be a resident of Arizona for at least 29 days prior to the election
• You must complete the required training
• Students with citizenship who are 16 years or older may work with parental permission
• You will be entitled to compensation

To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

Polling place hours are from 6:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Employors are required to grant three hours of paid leave to vote, unless polls are open three hours before or after work shift.

You can find your polling place by utilizing VOTE411's poll locator tool. Some states and local jurisdictions provide their own poll locators. You can confirm your voting location by selecting from the following local resources: … Click to learn more

You can find your polling place by utilizing VOTE411's poll locator tool. Some states and local jurisdictions provide their own poll locators. You can confirm your voting location by selecting from the following local resources: Arizona State Poll Locator Tool, Coconino County , Maricopa County , Pima County , Yavapai County

If you have further questions on your polling place location, please contact your county clerk.

You will vote by provisional ballot if… Click to learn more

You will vote by provisional ballot if:

• Your name is not on the registration list
• The name and address on the registration list is not the same as the name and address on your ID
• Your ID is not sufficient
• You moved to a new precinct within the county
• You changed your name
• Voter issued an early ballot

The voter is given a provisional voter receipt with information on how to verify the status of the voters' provisional ballot.

The voting systems used in Arizona are optical scan and DRE… Click to learn more

The voting systems used in Arizona are optical scan and DRE.

Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.

Direct Recording Electronic (DRE): This is the newest kind of system in use in the U.S. All the information about who and what you are voting for is on an electronic screen like a TV or computer screen.

There are many variations of DREs because lots of companies are inventing new ones, and many cities, counties and states are trying them out. Usually, after you have signed in, the poll workers will give you a card that you slide into a device to start your voting session.

Some of these devices will show all of the candidates and ballot choices on one big screen. Often, with these big screen devices you push a button next to the name of the candidate you want to vote for (or yes or no on a ballot measure). On other DREs, the screen is set up to show “pages.” On each screen or page, there will probably be one thing to vote on. For example, on one screen or page, you might vote for president. Then you might move to the next page to vote for senator. Often these small-screen devices have a “touch screen,” where you touch the screen next to the name of the person you want to vote for. Other devices have a key pad. And some have a keyboard, so you can write in the name of someone you want to vote for.

You let the system know you are finished voting by pushing a button, touching the screen or entering something on a keypad.

Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures is available here.

Citizens with disabilities should contact their local county recorder for information about polling place access, early voting, assistance at the polling place and all other election related procedures.

For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.

For information on state campaign contributions, please visit your state's resource.