Arizona 2026 General Election: Key Dates, Early Voting and ID Rules

Arizona's General Election is on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting is already underway. This guide gathers the official dates and procedures published by the Arizona Secretary of State, so voters can confirm how, when and where to cast a ballot. It covers procedure only and takes no position on any candidate, party or ballot measure. Every date below comes from an official state source linked in the text. Voters should confirm details with their county recorder or elections office, which runs voting locations and processes ballots.

Key dates

The Secretary of State's 2026 election information page lists the following for the November 3 General Election:

Date	Event
September 19, 2026	UOCAVA deadline (military and overseas voters)
October 5, 2026	Last day to register to vote, at 11:59 p.m.
October 7, 2026	Early voting begins and early ballots are mailed
November 3, 2026	General Election Day
November 9, 2026	First day to canvass returns
November 19, 2026	Deadline for county Boards of Supervisors to canvass returns
November 23, 2026	Official statewide canvass

The same three headline dates, the October 5 registration deadline, the October 7 start of early voting and the November 3 Election Day, also appear in the Secretary of State's September 4, 2026 announcement launching its voter information campaign. The registration deadline has passed. Anyone unsure whether they are registered, or whether their address is current, can check through the state's official voter portal linked from Arizona.Vote.

Voting early by mail

Arizona voters on the Active Early Voting List automatically receive a ballot by mail for every election in which they are eligible to vote. Voters who are not on the list can request a one-time early ballot. According to the Secretary of State's early voting page, a voter must sign up "at least 11 days before Election Day" to receive a mailed ballot for that election. For November 3, that is Friday, October 23, 2026. Replacement ballot requests by mail follow the same 11-day rule. A voter whose ballot is lost or damaged can also request a replacement in person at a voting location.

When returning a mailed ballot, the Secretary of State advises voters to sign and date the return envelope and to include a phone number in case election officials need to follow up. Return envelopes mailed within Arizona do not need added postage.

Returning a ballot

The deadline is about when the ballot arrives, not when it is mailed. According to Arizona.Vote, "Voted ballots must be received no later than 7 pm on Election Day." Voters who are close to the deadline can avoid mail delays by delivering the ballot in person. The state lists these return options:

Designated ballot drop boxes.
Any early voting location in the voter's county.
The county recorder's or elections office.
Any Election Day voting location in the voter's county.

Voters on the Active Early Voting List, or who made a one-time request, can track their ballot through the state's official tracker and sign up for text or email alerts. Arizona.Vote links to both, as well as to tracking pages for Maricopa and Pima counties.

Voting in person on Election Day

According to Arizona.Vote, "all voting locations are open from 6 am to 7 pm" on Election Day, and "you can vote as long as you are in line by 7 pm." Voting locations are set by each county. Voters can look up their location through the polling-place tool linked from Arizona.Vote.

Voter ID at the polls

Arizona requires identification for in-person voting. Voters must give the election official their name and address and show either one ID from the state's List 1, or two different IDs from List 2 or List 3. Arizona.Vote cites A.R.S. § 16-579(A) for this requirement. The Secretary of State's voting in elections page gives examples for each list:

List 1 (one required): photo ID showing name and address, such as a valid Arizona driver license, an Arizona non-operating ID card, a tribal enrollment card, or a valid U.S. federal, state or local government-issued ID.
List 2 (two required): non-photo documents showing name and address, such as a utility bill or a bank or credit union statement dated within 90 days of the election, an Arizona vehicle registration, a property tax statement, or mail marked "Official Election Material."
List 3 (mix and match): combinations such as a U.S. passport without an address plus one List 2 item, or a List 1 photo ID whose address does not match the precinct register plus a List 2 document whose address does.

A voter who cannot show acceptable ID can still cast a conditional provisional ballot. For it to count in a general election with a federal race, the voter must provide proof of identity to the County Recorder by 5:00 p.m. on the fifth business day after the election. Regular provisional ballots are issued in other situations, for example when a voter was sent an early ballot, is not on the signature roster, or moved within the county without updating their registration. The Secretary of State describes provisional ballots as "a fail-safe measure designed to ensure that all eligible voters have their ballots counted."

After Election Day

Results are not final on election night. Under the state calendar, counties may begin canvassing returns on November 9 and must finish by November 19. The official statewide canvass is scheduled for November 23, 2026.

Where to get help

The Secretary of State's voter line is 1-877-THE-VOTE. County recorders and elections offices handle questions about specific ballots, voting locations and registration records. Contact details for every county are on the Secretary of State's website. Because election procedures can be updated, voters should treat the official state and county sites as the final word on dates and rules.