If this is your first time voting, welcome. Voting in Arizona is simple once you know the calendar, and it comes down to five dates.
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026. That’s the one most people know. However, a few other dates matter just as much, especially the deadline to register and the deadline to return your ballot.
Elections decide things you deal with every day, such as how your school is funded, what gets built in your neighborhood, and who runs your city. Below is the calendar that gets you a say in it, according to the Arizona Secretary of State’s office.
Here’s your calendar of key dates in Arizona’s 2026 midterm elections:
MONDAY, OCT. 5:
The last day to register to vote in the general election. You have until 11:59 p.m., and the deadline is the same no matter how you do it: online, by mail (postmarked by this date), or in person.
Arizona does not have same-day registration, so this deadline is firm. If you miss it, you cannot vote in this election, even if you show up on Election Day.
It takes a couple of minutes to register to vote or check that your registration is current, so it’s worth doing now rather than in October.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 7:
Two things start today.
Early in-person voting opens, so you can cast your ballot at a voting location weeks before Nov. 3.
Early ballots also start going out by mail to voters who requested one and to voters on the Active Early Voting List. The AEVL is Arizona’s standing mail ballot list: sign up once, and you automatically receive a mail ballot for every election you’re eligible to vote in.
FRIDAY, OCT. 23:
The last day to request a mail ballot for this election. The cutoff is 5 p.m.
It’s also the last day to join the Active Early Voting List in time to receive a ballot for this election. After today, voting before Nov. 3 has to happen in person.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30:
The last day of early in-person voting. After today, in-person voting happens on Election Day itself.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3:
Election Day. Polls are open 6 a.m. – 7 p.m.
If you have a mail ballot, here’s the part Arizona voters most often get wrong: your ballot must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day. Postmarks do not count in Arizona. A ballot postmarked Nov. 3 that arrives Nov. 4 will not be counted.
Election officials recommend mailing it back at least a week early. If you’re cutting it closer, don’t mail it. Drop it at any drop box or voting location in your county by 7 p.m. Return envelopes are postage-paid either way.
If you’re voting in person, bring ID. Arizona accepts one photo ID showing your name and address, or two accepted non-photo documents.
And if you are in line by 7 p.m., you are allowed to vote. Stay in line.
Not sure whether you’re registered, or whether your address is current? You can check or update your voter registration online any time before the Oct. 5 deadline.
Need help getting ready to vote? Use our online portal below to see what’s on your ballot, find your polling place, and register to vote.
