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How voting works in Arizona

Registration, ID, early and mail voting, drop boxes and how many people voted each way in 2024, from official sources.

Turnout in 202464.6%
Mail ballots sent in 20243,582,082

In Arizona, ID is required to vote in person; registration must be completed before voting (no same-day registration); early in-person voting begins 27 days before Election Day; any voter may ask for a mail ballot without giving a reason. In 2024, 74.7% of the ballots cast in Arizona came by mail.

64.6%Turnout in 2024
4,366,786Active registered voters
74.7%Of ballots cast by mail
3,582,082Mail ballots sent
Registering to vote in Arizonaonline, automatic and same-day registration
Registration rules
TopicArizonaAll states
Online registrationOVR permitted42 states and D.C. have online voter registration
Automatic registrationNot provided24 states and D.C. have automatic voter registration
Pre-registrationMust be 18 by Election Day23 states and D.C. permit pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds
Same-day registrationNot provided24 states and D.C. have same-day registration
Registration deadline29 days before Election DayNational average is 19 days before Election Day
Voter registration databaseHybrid36 states and D.C. use top-down; six states use bottom-up; eight states use a hybrid system

Register or check your registration on the federal portal: Vote.gov, Arizona.

Casting a ballot in ArizonaID, early voting, mail ballots and drop boxes
Voting rules
TopicArizonaAll states
ID to vote in personID required36 states require ID to vote in person
Early in-person votingBegins 27 days before Election Day47 states and D.C. allow early in-person voting; national average is 21 days
Vote centers on Election DayVote centers are used21 states and D.C. allow vote centers for Election Day voting
Absentee voting without an excusePermitted36 states permit no-excuse absentee voting
Ballots mailed to every voterBallots are not mailed to all registered voters statewideEight states and D.C. mail ballots to all active registered voters
Deadline to return a mail ballot7 p.m. on Election Day36 states require ballots returned by Election Day*
Who may return another person's ballotFamily member, household member or caregiver38 states have laws governing ballot collection
Ballot drop boxesPermitted12 states prohibit; 28 states permit; other states are silent
Fixing a mail ballot problem (cure)Ballot cure process offered statewide33 states and D.C. have a ballot cure process
Mail ballot processing startsUpon receipt43 states and D.C. begin processing before Election Day
Electronic ballot returnPermitted for UOCAVA voters32 states and D.C. allow for military and overseas voters; 13 states and D.C. allow for voters with disabilities

Rules are those listed by the Election Assistance Commission and the National Conference of State Legislatures in January 2026; the right-hand column compares with all states. Laws can change, so check your state election office before you vote.

After the vote and primariesrecounts, audits and primary type
Recounts, audits and primaries
TopicArizonaAll states
Automatic recountUses automatic recount threshold25 states and D.C. have automatic recount thresholds
Post-election auditUses post-election audits49 states and D.C. require post-election audits
Primary electionsOpen to unaffiliated votersPrimaries range from fully open to fully closed
How people voted in 2024: Arizonaballots by mode, mail voting and election administration
  • In-person early 10.0% (349,129)
  • By mail 74.7% (2,597,974)
  • In person on Election Day 14.3% (496,753)
  • Other 1.0% (34,148)
Mail voting in 2024
Mail voting in 2024Arizona
Mail ballots sent to voters3,582,082
Share of sent mail ballots returned79.8%
Share of returned mail ballots counted98.5%
Mail ballots that went through ballot curing1.9%
Drop boxes14.4% of mail ballots returned at drop boxes
Running the 2024 election
Running the 2024 electionArizona
Active registered voters (Nov. 5, 2024)4,366,786
Registration transactions in the two years to the 2024 close2,348,267
Voters removed from the rolls in that period402,712
Confirmation notices sent7,543,039
Voting locations781
Poll workers7,642
Election jurisdictions reporting15
Source of registration transactions
How registrations arrivedShare
Motor Vehicle Dept.58.4%
In Person3.4%
Online8.0%
Mail, Email, Fax16.7%
Other13.4%

Audits and checks reported: Access audit: no; Ballot reconciliation audit: no; Compliance audit: no; Eligibility audit: no; Legal audit: no; Logic/accuracy testing: yes; Post-election tabulation audit: no; Risk-limiting audit: no; Other audit(s): no.

Reported by the state to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (2024 Election Administration and Voting Survey). Reported Percentages may not sum to 100 because of missing answers. Read the EAC brief for Arizona.

Who runs elections in Arizonaofficial, local offices and website
  • Chief election official: Secretary of State
  • Who runs elections locally: County Recorder, Elections Director
  • Election jurisdictions: 15
  • State election website: www.azsos.gov/elections

Source: EAC and NCSL State Election Profile for Arizona, January 2026. Neither organization advocates for or against any election policy.