7 things Pima County voters should know ahead of the November election

On Oct. 9, election officials will be mailing more than 470,000 ballots to Pima County voters to launch the start of voting in the Nov. 5 general election.

Officials are bracing for a big turnout with the presidential race at the top of the ticket.

“This is when everybody turns out to vote,” said Pima County Deputy Elections Director Jeremy George.

Here are seven things for Pima County to know ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

1. Pima County will have a two-card ballot

This year’s ballot is a long one. Pima County voters will be able vote in more than 30 races for elected office (including judges) including not only the presidential race between Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris but also the U.S. Senate election between Democrat Ruben Gallego and Republican Kari Lake and candidates in various congressional, county and state legislative races. Plus, there are 13 statewide propositions involving hot-button issues such as abortion, immigration and election reform, along with some local props in some of the suburbs and school districts.

There are so many decisions for Pima County voters that they will be working their way through a four-page ballot with candidates for office on the first page of the first card, while propositions will appear on the second page of the first card and both pages of the second card.

“This is something that’s brand new in Pima County,” said George. “It’s brand-new for a lot of different counties throughout the state.”

Pima County Elections Director Constance Hargrove urged voters to be sure to return both cards when they cast their ballot via mail or otherwise drop it off to county officials.

“If somebody returns only one card, that’s what we have to count for that voter,” Hargrove said.

2. Check your registration

Because state law requires election officials to audit the voter registration rolls, the number of overall voters in Arizona dropped by more than 100,000 between summer 2023 and January 2024.

Some of those voters were people who have moved or died, but it also includes inactive voters who haven’t cast ballots in years or responded to election officials who have flagged their registration. (Protect Democracy, a nonprofit dedicated to voting rights, estimates that between the 2020 presidential election and August 2024, roughly 724.000 unique voter registration records have been removed from voting rolls statewide, amounting to 21 percent of said records; roughly 1 million other voters have been moved to “inactive” status, according to Protect Democacy’s analysis.)

To make sure you’re up to date, check your registration at the Pima County Recorder’s Office website or at the Arizona Secretary of State’s Office website.

If you’ve never registered or if you need to update your record, you can do so at servicearizona.com.

The deadline to register to vote, or update your registration, is midnight on Monday, Oct. 7.

3. How to get an early ballot in Pima County

More than 470,000 voters were already signed up on the Active Early Voter List, or AEVL, as of last week, according to Mike Truelsen, spokesperson for the Pima County Recorder’s Office.

If you’re not among them – or you want to make sure your name has not been dropped from the list – visit the Pima County Recorder’s Office website to add your name or call 520-724-4330. If you do it soon, you’ll be among the voters who will be sent a ballot on Wednesday, Oct. 9. The deadline to request a ballot by mail is Friday, Oct. 25.

Pima County Recorder Gabriella Cazares-Kelly urges voters to drop completed ballots into the mail by Oct. 29 because election officials have to have it in hand by 7 p.m. on Election Day to count it. If you don’t mail it by then, you’re encouraged to instead drop it off at an early voting location before Nov. 5 or at a voting center on Election Day.

If you vote by mail, the Pima County Recorder’s Office team has to verify your signature. That’s why election officials urge you to return your ballot before Election Day to avoid delays in tabulating the vote while your ballot undergoes the verification process.

4. How to vote in person on Election Day

In 2022, Pima County moved away from precinct-based polling – where voters had to cast a ballot at a specific polling place  in their precinct – to more than 100 vote centers scattered across the community. With electronic poll books and print-on-demand ballots, voters who prefer the traditional method of in-person voting will be able to cast their vote at any of 126 vote centers that the county plans to open. Details on locations will be available at Pima.Vote and, county election officials say, you will even be able to find out how long you’ll have to wait in line for a voting booth.

Speaking of a potential wait: Election officials say that they are planning on adding more voting booths, printers and other equipment to avoid long lines at polling places. The vast majority of voters in general elections cast early ballots – in 2020, roughly six months into the COVID-19 outbreak, 87 percent voted early, and in 2022, the number was 82 percent – but election officials want to avoid hassles for those who want to do it in person.

They do advise, however, that voters consider taking a look at a sample ballot before arriving at the polling place because there are so many decisions to make this year.

“Make a plan, be prepared, and everything will go a lot easier on Election Day,” said George.

If you vote in person, you have to show one form of photo identification or two forms of non-photo ID. If you can’t do that, you’ll be able to cast a provisional ballot but you’ll have to prove your identity to the Pima County Recorder’s Office within five days of the election or your vote won’t be counted.

Voters are allowed to bring a sample ballot or notes into the voting booth and can take as long as they like to cast their ballot.

5. How to vote in person before Nov. 5

The Pima County Recorder’s Office will be setting up early voting locations in October. Starting on Oct. 9, you’ll be able to cast a ballot at county recorder offices at 240 N. Stone Ave. and 6550 S. Country Club Rd., as well as between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at Fellowship Bible Church, 6700 E. Broadway. Voters can drop off early ballots at the recorder’s East Side office, 6920 E. Broadway. More early-voting locations will open in local libraries and community centers beginning on Oct. 21. You can find a complete list here.

6. What’s a federal-only voter?

Arizona is the only state that requires voters to prove their citizenship before voting. However, that runs afoul of federal law, which says states must accept a standard federal voter-registration form, which requires voters to attest that they are citizens but does not require them to show documentary proof.

To settle a lawsuit over the issue, Arizona agreed to allow create a new class of “federal-only” voters who filled out the federal registration form but did not subsequently prove their citizenship. They can only vote in federal elections for president and for U.S. Senate and U.S. House candidates.

A Votebeat analysis showed that federal-only voters in the state were likely to be younger voters living near college campuses.

In Pima County, the number of federal-only voters stood at 7,600 as of Monday, Sept. 23, according to Truelsen. You can check if you’re among them – and find out how to provide proof of citizenship so you can vote for everything on the ballot – at the Pima County’s Recorder’s Office website  or at the Arizona Secretary of State Office’s website.

7. More info?

Pima County’s central website for your election-related questions is Pima.Vote.