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  • Voting by Mail: How to Get a Ballot-by-Mail

Voting by Mail: How to Get a Ballot-by-Mail

Arizona has a proud history of secure and reliable voting by mail

Most Arizonans already vote by mail, allowing them to fill out their ballot from the comfort of their home and then mail it back or drop it off at any drop-box or voting location in their county.

Due to COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/election-polling-locations.html early voting and voting by mail when possible.

Registered voters have two ways to get a ballot-by-mail:

Join the Permanent Early Voting List

-OR-

Make a one-time request for a ballot-by-mail

You can sign up for the PEVL when you register to vote. Or, if you’re already registered to vote, follow the simple steps below to get your ballot-by-mail and ensure you have a safe, secure, and reliable option for voting in this year’s elections.

Permanent Early Voting List (PEVL)

Voters on the PEVL are automatically sent a ballot-by-mail for all elections in which they are eligible to vote.

Online registration requires an AZ Driver’s License or Non-Operating ID number. By clicking the link below, you can register to vote or update your voter registration to join the PEVL.

Online Registration

Voters in Maricopa County can also request to join the PEVL online at the the Maricopa County PEVL Sign-Up Website.

Print, complete, and sign the PEVL request form (PDF). Mail, fax, or email a scanned copy or photo of the completed form to your County Recorder’s Office.

If you do not have a printer, write out the required information from the request form, sign the document that you wrote, then mail, fax, or email a scanned copy or photo of your handwritten request to your County Recorder’s Office.

Find your County Recorder’s contact information here.

Deadline to join the PEVL

There is no deadline to join the PEVL. However, to get a ballot-by-mail for an upcoming election, you must sign up at least 11 days before Election Day.

You must sign up by:

Election Voter Registration Deadline Deadline for Registered Voters to Join PEVL or Request a Ballot-by-Mail
August 4, 2020 Primary July 6, 2020 July 24, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.
November 3, 2020 General *October 15, 2020 October 23, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.

* UPDATE: The voter registration deadline for the General Election has been extended to 11:59 p.m. on October 15, 2020 by a court order. All voter registration forms must be received by that time.

Request a One-Time Ballot-by-Mail

If you do not want to sign up for the PEVL, you can request a ballot-by-mail just for the 2020 elections. You can make a request for a ballot-by-mail for both the August 4, 2020 Primary Election and November 3, 2020 General Election at one time. Voters who use this option will not be added to the PEVL.

Use the Secretary of State’s online portal to request a ballot-by-mail for the 2020 Primary and/or General Election.

Online Registration

You can call your County Recorder to request a ballot-by-mail for the 2020 Primary and/or General Election. You must provide your name, date of birth, residence address, and other identifying information.

Find your County Recorder’s contact information here

Print, complete, and sign the ballot-by-mail request form (PDF). Mail, fax, or email a scanned copy or photo of the completed form to your County Recorder’s Office.

If you do not have a printer, write out the required information from the request form, sign the document that you wrote, then mail, fax, or email a scanned copy or photo of your handwritten request to your County Recorder’s Office.

Find your County Recorder’s contact information here

You can also email your County Recorder with the following information:

  • First and Last Name
  • Date of Birth
  • Residence Address
  • Mailing Address (where you want the ballot sent, if different from Residence Address)
  • State or Country of Birth, or another piece of information that, if compared to your voter record, would confirm your identity (e.g. Arizona Driver’s License #, last 4 digits of Social Security number, father’s name, or mother’s maiden name)
  • Primary Election Ballot Choice (if registered as No Party Designated/Independent)
    • Voters registered with no political party must choose which ballot they would like for the Primary Election: Republican, Democrat, Green (only available for Pima County voters) or Nonpartisan (only includes nonpartisan, municipal races in cities/towns holding elections on August 4, 2020)
  • Write the following message: “I am requesting a ballot-by-mail for the 2020 Primary and General Elections and am giving the County Recorder permission to mail my ballot to the address provided in this email.”
Find your County Recorder’s contact information here

Deadline to request a ballot-by-mail

Primary and General Election ballots can be requested at the same time, or separately. If you would like to request a ballot-by-mail for Primary and General Election together, you must do so by July 24, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.

Election Voter Registration Deadline Deadline for Registered Voters to Join PEVL or Request a Ballot-by-Mail
August 4, 2020 Primary July 6, 2020 July 24, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.
November 3, 2020 General *October 15, 2020 October 23, 2020 at 5:00 p.m.

* UPDATE: The voter registration deadline for the General Election has been extended to 11:59 p.m. on October 15, 2020 by a court order. All voter registration forms must be received by that time.

FAQs

A Primary Election serves to select each recognized political parties' nominees, who will then go on to the General Election ballot with all other party’s nominees. Arizona has an Open Primary, which allows voters registered without a political party (commonly referred to as "independents”) to choose which primary they want to participate in. To receive a ballot-by-mail for a Primary Election, Independent Voters must notify their County Recorder’s Office which political party’s Primary Election ballot they wish to receive.

For the August 4, 2020 Primary Election: Independent voters may request to receive a Republican, Democratic, or Nonpartisan/Municipal Only ballot. The Nonpartisan/Municipal Only ballot is only available in cities or towns with nonpartisan municipal races in August and will only contain those city/town races. (Nonpartisan municipal races are also included on partisan party ballots.)

Voters may indicate their ballot selection in one of four ways:

  • By Mail: Independent voters on the PEVL will receive a notice in the mail from their County Recorder. Return that notice with your choice of ballot selected.
  • By Phone: Call your County Recorder’s office to indicate your ballot selection for the Primary Election.
  • Online: Use My.Arizona.Vote and select the Request a Ballot by Mail button. Follow the steps to the end to complete the request.
  • In-Person: Visit an early voting or Election Day voting location, select your choice of ballot, and vote in-person.

Independent voters on the PEVL will not receive a ballot in the mail for a primary election unless they contact their County Recorder and specify their ballot selection.

Your ballot-by-mail must be received by county election officials by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day. If you are going to mail back your ballot-by-mail for the General Election, we recommend you do so by October 27, 2020. For the August 4, 2020 Primary Election, we recommend putting your ballot in the mail by July 29, 2020. Otherwise, you should take your ballot to any ballot drop-off location or voting location in your county by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.

You have two options for returning your ballot-by-mail:

  • Mail back your ballot: Use the pre-paid envelope included in your ballot-by-mail package. For the November General Election, we recommend mailing it by October 27,2020 (7 days) before Election Day to ensure it reaches your county election officials on time.
  • Drop off your ballot: You may drop off your ballot at any ballot drop-box, drop-off location, early voting location, or Election Day voting location in your county on or before Election Day. Find all voting and drop off locations on your county’s website. Ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.

You may track the status of your ballot at My.Arizona.Vote to confirm that it was received and counted.

Voters in Maricopa County can receive automatic updates on their ballot status via text. Text the word "JOIN" to 628-683 or visit TextSignUp.Maricopa.Vote to subscribe.

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 for the Primary Election must be made by Friday, July 24, 2020 and requests for the General Election must be made by Friday, October 23, 2020.

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.

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. Find your County Recorder’s contact information here.

Each county has different in-person early voting options starting 27-days before Election Day up through 5:00 p.m. on the Friday before Election Day. Visit your County Recorder’s website or contact your County Recorder directly to learn more about in-person early voting options in your county: https://azsos.gov/county-election-info.

Voters are now required to present sufficient identification to vote early in-person. For more information on voter ID, visit: https://azsos.gov/elections/voting-election.

Contact your County Recorder or Elections Department to learn more about emergency voting options available in your county: https://azsos.gov/county-election-info.

The County Board of Supervisors may authorize Emergency Voting Centers for in-person voting between 5:00 p.m. on the Friday before the election and 5:00 p.m. on the Monday before the election. For the purposes of emergency voting, “emergency” means any unforeseen circumstance that would prevent the voter from voting at the polls on Election Day.

In order to vote at an emergency voting center:

  • Voters will be required to present sufficient identification. For more information on voter ID, visit: https://azsos.gov/elections/voting-election.
  • Voters must also sign a statement under penalty of perjury starting that the voter is experiencing or have experienced an emergency after 5:00 p.m. on the Friday immediately preceding the election and before 5:00 p.m. on the Monday immediately preceding the election that will prevent them from voting at a polling place on Election Day.

Tamper Evident Envelopes and Ballot Tracking: In Arizona, counties utilize tamper evident envelopes for mailed ballots and voters can verify whether their ballot-by-mail has been sent to them and whether it has been received and accepted by the county after it has been mailed back.

Security of Ballot Drop-Off Locations and Drop-Boxes: Ballot drop-off locations and drop-boxes must comply with security requirements and procedures outlined in the Elections Procedures Manual.

Signature Verification: Every ballot-by-mail is authenticated through a rigorous signature verification process conduct by trained election officials. The voter is contacted if the signature on the ballot-by-mail affidavit is inconsistent with the signature in the voter’s registration record.

Criminal Penalties for Misconduct: Arizona law imposes severe criminal penalties for ballot tampering, vote buying, or discarding someone else’s ballot.

Overseas voters can request a ballot from their county through our online portal at My.Arizona.Vote. More information regarding options for voting and returning a ballot for overseas voters is available here: https://my.arizona.vote/UOCAVA2/default.aspx.

If you have more questions about voting by mail, you should contact your County Recorder (contact information available at this link: https://azsos.gov/county-election-info).

You can also contact the Election Services Division at the Secretary of State’s Office at [email protected] or 1-877-THE-VOTE.

Find your county’s contact information here: https://azsos.gov/county-election-info.

Have questi ons? Call 1-877-THE-VOTE or email [email protected].

Important Dates

2020 Election Timeline

Primary Election

  • May 03, 2020

    First day to request a one-time ballot-by-mail for only the Primary Election or both the Primary and General Election

  • July 06, 2020

    Voter Registration Deadline

  • July 08, 2020

    First day for counties to mail ballots to voters (and first day of in-person early voting)

  • July 24, 2020

    Last day to sign up for the PEVL or request a one-time ballot-by-mail

  • July 29, 2020

    Recommended deadline to mail back your ballot

  • August 4, 2020

    Election Day
    All ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m.

    *Voters who do not mail back their ballot by the recommended deadline have until 7:00 p.m. on Election Day to drop off their ballot at their County Recorder’s Office or any ballot drop-box or voting location in the county.

General Election

  • August 02, 2020

    First day to request a one-time ballot-by-mail for the General Election only

  • October 07, 2020

    First day for counties to mail ballots to voters (and first day of in-person early voting)

  • October 15, 2020 *

    Voter Registration Deadline *

  • October 23, 2020

    Last day to request a ballot-by-mail or sign up for PEVL

  • October 27, 2020

    Recommended deadline to mail back your ballot

  • November 3, 2020

    Election Day
    All ballots must be received by 7:00 p.m.

* UPDATE: The voter registration deadline for the General Election has been extended to 11:59 p.m. on October 15, 2020 by a court order. All voter registration forms must be received by that time.

Have questions? Call 1-877-THE-VOTE or email [email protected]

Elections

  • Elections Calendar & Upcoming Events
  • Voting In This Election
    • Register to Vote / Update Your Voter Information
    • Proof of Citizenship Requirements
      • Requerimientos de la Prueba de Ciudadanía
    • Check your Early or Provisional Ballot Status
    • Uniformed and Overseas Citizen Portal
    • Contact Information for County Election Officials
    • Voting Equipment
  • Campaign Finance & Reporting
    • Search the Campaign Finance Database
    • Make An Electronic Campaign Finance Filing
    • Contribution Limits
    • Financial Disclosure Statements
  • Running for Office
    • Running for Federal Office
    • Running for Statewide Office
    • Running for Legislative Office
  • Sign a Candidate Petition or Give $5 Qualifying Contribution
  • Information about Recognized Political Parties
  • Initiative, Referendum & Recall
    • Ballot Measure Committee campaign finance reports
    • Initiative Petition Requests
  • Requirements for Paid & Non-Resident Circulators
  • Voter Registration & Historical Election Data
    • Historical Election Results & Information
    • Voter Registration Counts
  • Arizona Election Laws & Publications
  • Lobbyists
    • Search Lobbyist Records
    • Historical Expenditure Summaries
    • Lobbying Reporting Dates
    • Lobbyists Events
  • 2020 Electoral College
  • 2020 General Election State Canvass
  • Guidance on Voting Location Conduct
  • Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
  • Unique URL Pilot Program
  • Voting by Mail: How to Get a Ballot-by-Mail
    • Vote por correo: cómo obtener su boleta por correo
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