Primary elections in Arizona
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Primary elections allow voters to determine which candidates compete in the general election and can be nonpartisan or partisan. In partisan primaries, voters choose the candidates they prefer for a political party to nominate in the general election.
The laws governing primary elections vary from state to state and can even vary within states by locality and political party. For example, only registered party members are allowed to vote inclosed primaries, while registered party members and unaffiliated voters are allowed to vote insemi-closed primaries, and all voters are allowed to vote inopen primaries.
Primary elections also vary by the way their outcomes are determined.Majority systems require the winning candidate to receive at least fifty percent of the votes cast, whileplurality systems do not. Intop-two primaries,top-four primaries, andblanket primaries, all candidates are listed on the same ballot, regardless of partisan affiliation.
See the sections below for general information on the use of primary elections in the United States and specific information on the types of primaries held in Arizona:
- BackgroundThe different types of primary election participation models used in the United States, and details about methods to determine the outcomes of primaries.Read more
- Primary election systems used in ArizonaPrimary election systems used in Arizona, including primaries for congressional and state-level offices.Read more
- State legislation and ballot measuresState legislation and ballot measures relevant to primary election policy in Arizona.Read more
Background
In general, there are two broad criteria by which primary elections can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction:
1.Rules of participation: In jurisdictions that conduct partisan primaries, who can vote in a party's primary? Is participation limited to registered party members, or can other eligible voters (such as unaffiliated voters or voters belonging to other parties) participate? In general, there are three basic types of primary election participation models:open primaries,closed primaries, andsemi-closed primaries. Several states also use atop-two primary or a variant of that system.
- Inclosed primaries only registered party members are allowed to vote.
- Insemi-closed primaries, registered party members and unaffiliated voters are allowed to vote.
- Inopen primaries, all voters are allowed to vote.
- Intop-two primaries,top-four primaries, andblanket primaries, all candidates are listed on the same ballot, regardless of partisan affiliation and voters may vote for candidates from more than one party.
2.Vote requirements: What share of the total votes cast does a candidate have to receive in order to advance to the general election? Methods for determining primary election outcomes includeplurality voting systems ansmajority voting systems. Two states, California and Washington, usetop-two primaries, while one, Alaska, uses atop-four primary. Both are plurality systems. Maine useranked-choice voting for some primaries, which is a majority system.
Primary election systems used in Arizona
Congressional and state-level elections
Arizona state law provides for semi-closed primaries, meaning that a voter generally must be registered as a party member in order to participate in that party's primary. A previously unaffiliated voter can participate in the primary of his or her choice. A voter who who previously affiliated with a political party can only vote in that party's primary. Winners in Arizona primary elections are determined via plurality vote, meaning that the candidate with the highest number of votes wins even if they did not win an outright majority of votes cast.[1][2]
In 23 states, at least one political party utilizes closed primaries to nominate partisan candidates for congressional and state-level (e.g. state legislators, governors, etc.) offices. In 18 states, at least one party utilizes open primaries to nominate partisan candidates for these offices. In 12 states, at least one party utilizes semi-closed primaries. In 5 states, top-two primaries or a variation are used.[3] These state primaries are a separate entity and are not included in the totals for open, closed, or semi-closed primaries.
The table below lists Arizona offices for which parties must conduct primary elections to nominate their candidates.[4]
| Office | Number of seats |
|---|---|
| State executive offices (including governor, secretary of state, attorney general, state treasurer, superintendent of public instruction, state mine inspector, and corporation commissioner.) | 11[5][6] |
| United States Senators | 2 |
| United States Representatives | 9 |
| State legislators | 90 |
| Local offices | Varies by municipality |
Voting information
- See also:Voting in Arizona
Election information inArizona: July 21, 2026, election.
What is the voter registration deadline?
- In-person: June 22, 2026
- By mail: Postmarked by June 22, 2026
- Online: June 22, 2026
Is absentee/mail-in voting available to all voters?
What is the absentee/mail-in ballot request deadline?
- In-person: July 10, 2026
- By mail: Received by July 10, 2026
- Online: July 10, 2026
What is the absentee/mail-in ballot return deadline?
- In-person: July 21, 2026
- By mail: Received by July 21, 2026
Is early voting available to all voters?
What are the early voting start and end dates?
Are all voters required to present ID at the polls? If so, is a photo or non-photo ID required?
When are polls open on Election Day?
State legislation and ballot measures
Recent legislation related to primary elections in Arizona
The table below lists bills related to primary elections that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in Arizona. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official bill name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Sponsor party
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page onBallotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
Primary systems ballot measures
Since 2017, Ballotpedia has tracked no ballot measures relating to primary elections in Arizona.
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑Arizona Legislature, "Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 16-467," accessed October 15, 2025
- ↑Arizona Legislature, "Arizona State Constitution, Article 7, Section 7," accessed September 10, 2025
- ↑Top-two primary systems, such as those utilized inCalifornia,Nebraska, andWashington, and variations of those systems, such as thetop-four system used inAlaska and themajority-vote system used inLouisiana, are sometimes classified as open primary systems because voter participation in such primaries is not tied to partisan affiliation. For the purposes of this article, these primaries are considered to be a separate entity. For more information about top-two primaries and their variations, seethis article.
- ↑Arizona Legislature, "Arizona Revised Statutes Annotated, § 16-301," accessed September 10, 2025
- ↑Arizona Secretary of State, "Running for Office," accessed September 10, 2025
- ↑There are five seats on the Arizona Corporation Commission.
