Recall

A Recall is a procedure that allows citizens to remove and replace a public official before the end of their term in office. A.R.S. § 19-201. A recall may commence after an individual has been in office for six months, except for state legislators which can be filed five days after the start of their first session, and no specific grounds are required. A.R.S. § 19-202(A).

A recall can be filed against any public officer on any grounds but may not be filed until after the elected official has been in office in his or her first term for at least six months, except for state legislators. In the case of state legislators, a recall petition may commence five days after the start of their first legislative session after their election. A.R.S. § 19-202(A).

  1. Statement of Organization (If Sponsored by a Committee)

    A recall measure can be sponsored by an individual or a committee. If a committee is serving as the applicant, the committee must file a Statement of Organization using the Arizona Secretary of State’s Campaign Finance Filing System at or before the time of submitting an Application for Serial Number. The Secretary of State will not accept an application from a committee without an accompanying statement or designation. A.R.S. § 19-111(A).

  2. General Statement and Application for Serial Number

    An individual or organization wishing to recall a state officer must submit the online General Statement and a completed PDF Application stating their intent to circulate a statewide recall petition.

    The General Statement must be submitted online first before the PDF Application is submitted. The language provided online must exactly match the information completed on the PDF Application to be submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office. A.R.S. § 16-926(B)(3)(n). Completing the General Statement form does NOT complete the application process.

    To complete the PDF Application, please enter all required fields including:

    • The name and title of the officer to be recalled
    • A general statement of not more than two hundred words stating the grounds of the demand for the recall, which will be printed on the face of each petition sheet. This text must match the General Statement that you submitted online.
    • All information required to identify the recall applicant and sponsoring committee (if applicable)
    • A signature and date from the applicant at the bottom of the form

    A.R.S. §§ 19-202.01; 19-203.

Dates and Signature Requirements

Dates For Starting Recall Petitions:

  1. For Legislators, 5 days after the start of 1st legislative session
  2. For all other officials, 6 months the official is in office

Ariz. Const. Art. VIII, pt. 1, § 5; A.R.S § 19-202.

A recall petition must be submitted within 120 days of the Application for Recall being approved. A.R.S. § 19-203(C).

Signature Requirements:

Signatures required: 25% of all votes cast at the last election for all candidates for office held by that elected official. If two or more public officials are elected from one ballot, the following equation will be used to determine signature requirements as outlined in

(0.25 x overall votes)/ (number of offices filled).

Ariz. Const. Art. VIII, pt. 1, § 1; A.R.S. § 19-201.

Recall Process

Recall Action Timeframe
Application for Serial Number Filed 120 days to collect signatures
Recall Petition Sheets Filed 10 days for filing officer to complete signature review and send to County Recorder’s Office
County Recorder’s Office receives petitions that have completed signature review 60 days to complete signature verification and notify the filing officer
Filing officer receives the completed signature verification 5 business days to determine if total signature requirement has been met and notify the filer
Filing officer determines total amount of valid signatures received 2 business days to the officer whom the recall was filed against
Recalled officer receives notice of Recall Election 5 days to decide whether to resign
If recalled officer resigns Office is appointed according to law
If recalled officer does not resign 15 days to announce the date of the recall election
Recall Election The recall election will occur on the first consolidated election date that is at least 90 days in the future
Official Canvass of the Recall Election 6 – 20 days

Elections FAQ

An early ballot may be requested through our new Voter Information Portal or by contacting your County Recorder’s office. To have your name placed on the Active Early Voter List (AEVL), complete a new voter registration form and check the box marked “YES, I want to automatically receive an early ballot for each election for which I am eligible.” Or you can log in to Service Arizona and complete this request online.

  • Online – If you have an Arizona Driver License and/or an Arizona non-operating I.D. card issued by the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) you may register to vote through Service Arizona EZ Voter Registration
    1. Log on to Service Arizona
    2. Select your language preference, then click “Begin Voter Registration”
    3. Verify your voter eligibility
    4. Enter your information in the required fields
    5. Verify address information
    6. You can now select your party preference

    If you are having trouble logging in to the Service Arizona website, you can print off a Voter Registration Form and fill it out with your new information. After you finish, mail the completed form to your County Recorder’s office and your information will be updated.

    If you do not have a residence address, please also complete a 'No Residence Address Confirmation' in addition to the voter registration form.
  • By Mail – You can either print off a form online or request that a registration form be mailed to you from your County Recorder. After completing the voter registration form, mail it to your County Recorder’s office
  • In-Person – You may visit your County Recorder’s office and fill out a registration form in person
  • Address Confidentiality Program Members – You should only register to vote through the ACP process.

After you have successfully registered to vote you will receive a voter registration card in the mail within 4-6 weeks.

If you are a Maricopa County voter, you can process your request here. If you have any questions please call 602-506-1511.

If you are a Pima County voter, you can process your request here. If you have any questions please call 520-724-4330.

To contact your local Election Official please visit https://azsos.gov/county-election-info

 

The voter registration deadline for the General Election has been extended to 5 p.m. on October 15, 2020 by a court order. Check back here often for this and the other trusted information you need throughout the 2020 election season. All voter registration forms sent by U.S. mail must be received on or before the deadline. To see all voter registration deadlines, including for local elections. To see all voter registration deadlines, including for local elections, go to arizona.vote.

The deadline to update your voter registration or register to vote in an upcoming election is midnight on the 29th day before the election. For the 2020 State Primary Election, the deadline to register or update your registration is midnight on July 6, 2020. For the 2020 General Election, the deadline is midnight on October 5, 2020. To see all voter registration deadlines, including for local elections, go to arizona.vote. All voter registration forms sent by U.S. mail must be postmarked on or before the deadline.

Every qualified elector is required to show proof of identity at the polling place before receiving a ballot. Find out what qualifies as an acceptable form of identification in Arizona.

Yes! Arizona has an open primary law which allows any voter who is registered as independent to cast a ballot for one of the officially recognized political parties in State Primary Elections. Independent voters on the Permanent Early Voting List (AEVL) will receive a postcard in the mail asking them to choose which party ballot they wish to receive for the Primary Election. The corresponding primary ballot will then be sent by mail to the voter to complete approximately 27 days prior to the election. Independent voters who go to the polls on Election Day will be given the option to choose a party ballot at that time.

Note: This DOES NOT apply to the Presidential Preference Election. Voters must be registered with a recognized party to vote in the Presidential Preference Election.

The state of Arizona uses E-qual to verify that the person signing the qualifying slip or nomination petition is eligible to do so. After successful verification, the person can give $5 qualifying contribution slips or sign a nomination petition for candidates the person is eligible to vote for in the election.

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If you need assistance using www.servicearizona.com to register or update voter information, please see our ServiceArizona Guide or reach out to our office at [email protected] or by calling 1-877-THE-VOTE.

You do not need postage if you mail your ballot back in Arizona.

All early ballots come with a postage-paid return envelope. There is no need to add postage. Voters should remember to sign and date the return envelope, and to include a phone number in case election officials need to follow up with you.

If you have lost or damaged your ballot-by-mail, you may request a replacement ballot via mail or in-person.

To request a replacement ballot-by-mail, contact your County Recorder’s Office directly. Requests must be made no later than 11 days prior to Election Day. A.R.S. § 16-542(E).

You may also visit a voting location on or before Election Day to vote in-person. Visit my.arizona.vote to find your correct voting location.

The County will cancel your prior ballot if you request a replacement ballot.

No, Official Election Mail cannot be forwarded automatically by the postal service. If you will be out of town during the election, you may request to have your ballot sent to your temporary address. Contact your County Recorder directly to make this request.

To find your County Recorder’s contact information, click here.

You may track the status of your ballot at my.arizona.vote to confirm that it was received and counted.

If you live in Pima County or Maricopa County, check with your county election officials for status updates.

If you have further questions, you can reach out to our office at [email protected] or by calling 1-877-THE-VOTE.

You can also reach out to your county recorder’s office (County Election Officials Contact Information) for further assistance.

Contact Elections

Office of the Secretary of State
Elections Division
1700 W Washington St Fl 7
Phoenix AZ 85007-2808

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