Voter Registration - ID Requirement - Acceptable Forms of ID - Early Voting - Provisional Voting - Sample Ballots - Primary System

State Contact Information

Capitol Executive Tower 7th Floor

1700 West Washington Street

Phoenix, AZ 85007-2888

Phone: (602) 542-8683

Fax: (602) 542-6172

Web: http://www.azsos.gov/election/

Voter Registration

Proof of Citizenship Requirement

People who are registering to vote in Arizona for the first time or have moved to another county in Arizona, must include proof of US citizenship in their voter registration form or their form will be rejected. If you have an Arizona driver license or non-operating identification issued after October 1, 1996, write the number in box 13 on the front of the Arizona Voter Registration form. This will serve as proof of citizenship and no additional documents are needed. 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:

If you are registered in Arizona and use this 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. If you move to a different Arizona county, you will need to provide proof of citizenship.

How to register to vote:

Online: You may register online using Service Arizona EZ Voter Registration by clicking ( here) and follow the instructional steps. Note: In order to use this link you must have an Arizona Driver License and/or an Arizona non-operating Identification Card issued by the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) on or after October 1st, 1996. Upon successful completion of the online EZ Voter registration, you will receive a confirmation number. The confirmation number is your receipt the information you entered has been accepted and changed.

Print a Form: You may obtain a printable form online, fill in the form, print the form, sign and date it, affix the proper postage and mail the form to the County Recorder of the county in which you are a legal resident. To obtain the printable form, visit http://www.azsos.gov/election/forms/VoterRegistrationForm.pdf

By Mail: You may request an Arizona Voter Registration form from the County Recorder in the county in which you are a legal resident.

In Person: You may visit the County Recorder in the county you are a legal resident and complete an Arizona Voter Registration form.

To locate your local County Recorder please visit, http://www.azsos.gov/election/county.htm.

Close of Registration: 29 days before an election

ID Requirement

All qualified registered voters are required to show proof of identification at the polling place before receiving a ballot. The qualified voter shall announce his/her name and place of residence to the election official and present one form of identification that displays the name, address, and photograph of the voter or two different forms of identification that display the name and address of the registered voter.

Acceptable Forms of ID

Acceptable forms of identification with photograph, name, and address of the elector

• Valid Arizona driver license
• Valid Arizona non-operating identification license
• Tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification
• Valid United States federal, state, or local government issued identification

*An identification is "valid" unless it can be determined on its face that it has expired.

Acceptable forms of identification without a photograph that provide the name and address of the elector (2 required)

• Utility bill of the elector that is dated within ninety 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 ninety days of the date of the election
• Valid Arizona Vehicle Registration
• Indian census card
• Property tax statement of the elector's residence
• Tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal identification
• Recorder's Certificate
• Valid United States federal, state, or local government issued identification, including a voter registration card issued by the county recorder

*An identification is "valid" unless it can be determined on its face that it has expired.

Early Voting (open):

What is Early Voting?

All states have established some form of process for voters to be able to cast a ballot prior to Election Day. In many instances, however, the process is restricted to special circumstances. Some states require registered voters to present an acceptable reason that will prevent them from casting a ballot in-person, on Election Day. However, in the State of Arizona, any registered voter may qualify to vote before Election Day without providing an excuse. There are two ways a voter may cast an early vote:

• In-person early voting allows registered voters to cast a ballot in-person at an early voting center designated by local elections officials. In general, early voting centers are placed in a different location from you Election Day polling place.
• Another form of early voting is casting a ballot by mail which is often referred to as Absentee voting.

How to Obtain an Early Ballot: Any registered voter may make a verbal or signed, written request for an early ballot to their County Recorder. Registered voters can also request an early ballot by telephone, mail or fax. A written request must include the voter’s name and address as registered, date of birth, election for which the ballot is requested, address where the voter is temporarily residing (if applicable), and the signature of the voter. If the request is verbal, the requesting voter must provide their birth date and birthplace. To locate your County Recorder please visit, http://www.azsos.gov/election/county.htm.

When to request an Early Ballot (to vote early either in person or by mail): Any qualified registered voter can request an Early Ballot within 90 days before the Saturday prior to a presidential preference primary election and no later than 5:00pm 11 days before the election.

When to Cast an Early Ballot:

Early voting begins 26 days before the presidential preference election, and 33 days before all other primary and general elections.

Ballots MUST be received by the county recorder, either by personal delivery or by mail, or may be dropped off at any polling place in the voter’s county of residence no later than 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Permanent early voting

Any qualified registered voter may request to be included on a permanent early voting list. In order to be included on the permanent early voting list, the voter shall make a written request specifically requesting that the voter's name be added to the permanent early voting list for all elections in which the applicant is eligible to vote.

Military and Overseas Voters

If you are a military or an overseas citizen, you may request an early ballot; receive voter registration materials, a Federal Post Card Application and a ballot by visiting my Web site dedicated to military and overseas citizens, www.azsos.gov/election/military.htm. This website has been set up to facilitate voter registration and early ballot requests for those military and overseas voters. While on-line you may fill out the Federal Postcard Application (FPCA), which serves as both the voter registration and early ballot request form. You can also request the FPCA from your voting assistance officer or by contacting your county recorder directly (see page 11), which can be requested and received by mail or fax. Ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day.

Provisional Voting (in-precinct)

A “provisional ballot” can be considered a temporary ballot. Federal law provides for voters whose eligibility is in question to cast a ballot. A provisional ballot is not counted until voter eligibility can be determined by Election officials. Provisional voting was established nationwide by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). This means that no person who says they are registered to vote may be denied their right to vote.

A voter has the right to vote a provisional ballot if one of the following situations applies to him/her:

• If the voter’s name does not appear on the precinct register and he/she is in the correct polling place. The voter can present a certificate from the county recorder showing that he/she is entitled by law to vote in the precinct; or the voter can present an ID verifying the identity of the voter that includes the voter's name and complete address that is verified by the election board to be in the precinct; or the voter can sign an affirmation that states that the voter is registered in that jurisdiction and is eligible to vote in that precinct.
• If a voter has moved within the county, but did not re-register to vote. The Elections Official will verify the voter’s prior registration before the provisional ballot will be counted. The voter’s registration will then be updated with the voter’s current address. The voter shall present a form of ID that includes his/her name and complete residence address which must be within the precinct in which the voter is attempting to vote. The voter shall sign an affirmation stating that he/she is a registered voter in this jurisdiction and is eligible to vote.
• Records indicate that the voter requested an absentee ballot and the voter fails to turn in the absentee ballot at the polls on Election Day. The Elections Official’s Office will check the records, and if the voter did not vote an absentee ballot, the voter’s provisional ballot will be counted.
• The voter is a first- time Federal Election voter in the county and was unable to provide the required proof of identification. The Elections Official’s Office will verify the voter’s eligibility to vote by comparing the signature on the voter’s registration with the signature on the provisional ballot envelope.
• Once the voter has voted a provisional ballot, his/her ballot will be placed in a provisional ballot envelope which they can seal. The election official will ensure that the envelope is sealed. The voter will then be given a provisional ballot receipt with information on how to verify the status of his/her provisional ballot. If the voter is provided a provisional ballot because he/she did not produce appropriate identification, they will be provided instructions on how and where to produce identification to assure that his/her vote is counted.

Sample Ballots

Sample ballots will be mailed out 11 days before an election to each household in the county containing a registered voter. It will contain the name of your precinct and the name and address of your polling place.

Primary System (closed)

If you are reg­istered in a political party which has qualified for ballot recognition, you will be permitted to vote the primary election ballot for that party. If you are registered as an independent, no party preference or as a member of a party which is not qualified for ballot recognition, you may select and vote one primary election ballot for one of the recognized political parties.