Arizona

Members of the Pillars of the Community have asked the following questions about Arizona’s election system. Here is what the state says about voting and elections. In future meetings, the Pillars and election officials will continue to discuss and explore these topics in detail.

Is voting by mail reliable?

There are multiple safeguards in place to ensure the security of voting by mail. Mail-in voters are verified via their signatures on the ballot envelope. The system flags any individual’s attempt to vote more than once. Once a mail-in ballot has been returned, voters can view, track and receive real-time updates on the status of their ballot. If that same voter attempts to vote in person, they are forced to vote a provisional ballot so the system can ensure only the mail-in ballot is counted.

What security measures are in place to protect my vote?

Arizona employs multiple layers of security to protect votes:

• Voter registration databases are secured and continuously monitored.
• Processes are established in Arizona law to periodically cull the voter rolls of inactive voters and those who have died or moved out of Arizona.
• State and county elections officials are in regular communication with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and assorted federal authorities regarding cybersecurity and other election-related threats.
• Certified voting systems are not connected to the Internet to reduce cybersecurity risks.
• Encryption and other protective technologies are used, and frequent independent assessments are conducted to confirm system integrity.
• State and county authorities inspect, test and secure tabulation equipment prior to each election.
• Arizona utilizes paper ballots.

Is it possible for someone to vote more than once?

The voting system in Arizona is designed to detect and prevent duplicate voting. Each voter is issued a unique mail ballot, and the system tracks and flags any attempts to vote more than once.

Can non-citizens vote in elections?

It is illegal for non-U.S. citizens to register to vote. Arizona is the only state in the country with a law requiring proof of U.S. citizenship during the voter registration process.

Why does Arizona allow for “Federal-Only” ballots?

Federal law only requires that voters self-attest to their citizenship status, while Arizona state law requires proof of citizenship. This conflict remains the subject of litigation, but the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in 2024 that Arizonans who attest that they are U.S. citizens but do not further provide documentary proof of citizenship can receive a federal-only ballot that has federal races (President, U.S. Senate and U.S. House).

Are voting machines accurate?

Arizona has a multitude of procedures in place to ensure the accuracy of the vote count. Tabulators are federally and state-certified by the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission, Arizona Secretary of State and nationally-accredited Voting System Test Laboratory. Logic & accuracy tests are conducted prior to each election, political parties conduct a statistically-significant hand count during federal elections, and county authorities conduct an accuracy assessment following each election. Tabulation equipment is kept in a secure, restricted area, and machines are not connected to the Internet.

Can voters trust the outcome of Arizona elections?

While no system is perfect, Arizona has multiple layers of safeguards in place to ensure accurate and fair elections.

When are early and mail-in ballots counted?

Early and mail-in ballots are verified and processed upon receipt. Mail-in ballots that are received on Election Day will be verified, processed and tabulated in the days following the election.

Why does it take so long to count votes in Arizona?

It is a misnomer to say election results take longer to receive in Arizona now than in the past. The only difference is Arizona and some of its individual jurisdictions, such as Maricopa County, have become much more narrowly divided and the race outcomes are far closer. Final results tend to take up to a week to process because Arizona allows voters who request a mail-in ballot to drop off those ballots on Election Day. When hundreds of thousands of Arizonans vote in this fashion, it delays final results as these ballots must be fully processed, including undergoing signature verification. In addition, a new state law requires a hand-count reconciliation between the number of ballots received and the number counted on the voting machines before individual polling places can transmit their votes to be counted.