If you are a U.S. citizen, an Arizona resident and will be at least 18 years old by Election Day, you are eligible to cast a ballot in the Nov. 3, 2026, midterm election.
However, there's an October deadline to register to vote in the election. Read on for more details.
Once you are registered, your voting options are flexible. Arizona allows for mail-in voting and early voting, as well as voting at the pols on the actual Election Day.
Here's everything you need to know about the voting process this year.
When is the midterm election date?
The midterm election is Nov. 3, 2026.
What is the voter registration deadline in 2026?
Arizona residents have to be registered by Oct. 5 to vote in the Nov. 3 election.
How can I register to vote in the US midterms?
If you have an Arizona driver's license or state ID, you can register to vote online at Arizona.Vote.
Otherwise, you'll need to
register with a paper voter registration form. You can return the form to your county recorder by mail or drop it off.
Arizona requires full-ballot voters to provide documented proof of citizenship upon registration and valid ID at polling places to receive a ballot.
If you register with a state paper form, you'll see a section of the form that requires proof of citizenship. You must provide proof of your citizenship status to register using this form. Otherwise, your registration will be rejected. Make sure you include a photocopy of one of these documents:
- Your Arizona driver's license.
- Your Arizona nonoperating identification card.
- Your birth certificate.
- The photo identification page of your U.S. passport or passport card.
- Your naturalization documents.
- Your alien registration number.
- Your U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs or tribal identification card.
You can register to vote in some races, such as congressional matchups, even if you do not submit citizenship documents. However, you must use a federal form to register. You will be considered a "federal-only" voter and will not be able to vote a full ballot.
Federal-only voters are required to check a box certifying that they are a citizen under penalty of perjury.
Election officials review voter rolls often to confirm only eligible voters are registered.
Can I register to vote in person?
Yes, you can register in person at your county recorder's office.
You should contact the office directly for information on hours and locations.
When does early voting start in 2026?
Early voting for the midterm election starts on Oct. 7.
When do mail-in ballots get sent out?
Ballots will start being mailed out to registered voters on Oct. 7.
What are deadlines for mail-in ballots?
The last day to request a mail-in ballot is Oct. 23.
The last day to mail it back is Oct. 27.
What are the early voting locations in Maricopa County?
Maricopa County has early voting locations if you would like to cast a ballot in person. Fourteen of them open Oct. 7, and many others open closer to the election.
Find the complete list of early vote centers and their days of operation, plus vote centers open on Election Day, at https://elections.maricopa.gov/voting/where-to-vote.htm.
Where can I vote or drop off my ballot?
Polling locations change each election cycle, so be sure to check where you can drop off your ballot or fill out a blank one from scratch.
The website for Maricopa County allows you to search by your address. You can also browse a map there that displays where precinct locations are for in-person voting and for ballot drop boxes for those wanting to drop off a completed ballot.
You also have the option of dropping off completed ballots at county election offices in Phoenix or Mesa.
The Phoenix office is at 510 S. Third Ave. and is called the Maricopa County Tabulation and Election Center.
The Mesa office is at 222 E. Javelina Ave. and is called the Maricopa County Recorder and Elections Department.
If you live outside Maricopa County, you can check your county recorder’s website. The Arizona Secretary of State’s Office has web links to all 15 of Arizona’s recorders.
I think I'm registered. How do I check my voter registration status?
To check your registration status, visit Arizona.Vote and click on the blue box that reads, "Your Voter Info." It will take you to the Arizona Voter Information Portal, where you can verify your registration status.
If you live in metro Phoenix, you can also visit BeBallotReady.Vote to check the status of your registration. You cannot register to vote if you are a convicted felon and your rights have not been restored, or if you have been adjudicated as an incapacitated person.
How will votes be tallied?
You can expect to see the first batch of general election results about an hour after the polls close Nov. 3, with more to follow throughout the night. That first round will include a good portion of the ballots either mailed in or dropped off earlier.
But full results are likely to take several days. State law gives county election officials about two weeks to wrap up counting.
Arizona allows voters to drop off early ballots at the polls on Election Day, and those ballots still need to go through verification processes that take time to complete.
If voters dropping off ballots opt to show their ID to poll workers, their mail-in ballots can be counted on site at vote centers. About one-quarter of Primary Day drop-off voters used this option.
Otherwise, a dropped-off ballot goes through a handful of steps before it gets counted.
In transit. Before a ballot can be counted, it must get to your county's election headquarters.
Signature verification. Those voting in person must show identification at the polls. Early ballots go through a different process called signature verification, in which trained election officials look at an image of your signed affidavit and compare it to up to three of your other signatures on file. Once your signature is successfully verified, a bipartisan team separates your ballot from its early ballot envelope. It is then officially ready to be counted.
Into the tabulators. Vote-counting machines — or, more officially, tabulators — count your ballot. They are used in more than 90% of election jurisdictions in the United States and all of Arizona's 15 counties.
Bipartisan examination. If there's an issue with the way the ballot is filled out, that prompts a process called adjudication, in which bipartisan teams examine ballots to determine voter intent.
Reporting results. By law, county election officials must wait until five calendar days after the election to count ballots with missing or mismatched signatures. So determining tight races can take some time.
Election results in Arizona are unofficial until local and state officials have tallied all ballots and certified the results.
More stories on how elections are run in Arizona
- 8 noncitizens voted in Maricopa County, investigation shows. What it means
- What big Supreme Court ruling on mail-in voting case means for Arizona
- Get a voter registration letter from Maricopa County? What to do
- Elections in Arizona continue as normal despite Supreme Court ruling
- Maricopa County says new ballot option sped up election results
- This is how your vote is counted in Maricopa County after Election Day
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What to know about voting in Arizona's midterm election 2026
