Early voting is officially open in Pima County.
With the 2024 primary just weeks away, all eyes are once again on Arizona, a critical swing state in the upcoming presidential election.
As of Monday, July 1, there were 619,445 active registered voters in Pima County according to Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, the county recorder.
That number includes 231,815 Democrats, 173,977 Republicans and 204,344 “other” or independent voters, she said.
Primary election day is scheduled for July 30, but all registered voters in Pima County are eligible for in-person early voting or emergency voting.
“For all voters who are a member of a recognized political party and who have also signed up to receive a ballot by mail, they will automatically receive a ballot.” Cázares-Kelly said. “For independent or no party designated voters. They have to request the ballot because they’re eligible to participate, but we don’t know which one they want, and they’re only eligible to request a Democratic or Republican ballot. The Green Party, Libertarian Party and no labeled party have closed primaries, so you cannot request any of those.”
So far, Cázares-Kelly said they have sent out 332,000 early ballots.
For Tucsonans who are planning to vote early in the primary, there are a few different options for returning an early ballot.
“You can do that with a self addressed envelope that’s included in your packet. That’s perfectly safe, it goes through the United States Postal Service. We pick up directly from the USPS, and we take them to our ballot processing facility,” Cázares-Kelly said. “If people want to come in to any early voting site, they can also do that.”
Voters can drop off their ballots in their signed affidavit envelopes at any Early Voting location, Ballot Drop-Off location, or Election Day Vote Center in Pima County, all that’s required is valid identification.
“For most people, that’s a direct Arizona driver’s license,” Cázares-Kelly said.
The 17 early voting sites across the county will open in three phases as the primary date approaches, to accommodate early voters. Some voting sites opened Wednesday, with additional sites becoming operational July 15. All remaining sites will be available to voters starting July 22.
In-person Early Voting will be available Monday through Friday, through July 26, with slight deviations in hours based on location. A list of early voting sites and hours can be found online on the Pima County Recorder’s website.
All early voting sites will be closed Thursday, July 4.
Voters can also track their ballots through the recorder’s website.
“We have a really cool ballot alert system where people can sign up to receive text alerts or email alerts directly to them, telling them what the process progress of their ballot is.”
Voters who did not receive an early voting ballot, should make sure they are eligible to vote and that voter registration information is up to date.
“If somebody is unsure whether or not they are signed up for the active early voting list, they can search on our website,” Cázares-Kelly said.
For those who have requested early voting, but are unable to participate during the regular early voting period, in-person emergency voting is scheduled for Saturday, July 27, and Monday, July 29.
More information on voting, deadlines, and early ballots can be found on the Recorder’s website.
