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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Seventh Legislature, Second Regular Session
elections; July primary; cure; petitions
Purpose
An emergency measure that moves the date of the primary election from the first Tuesday in August to the last Tuesday in July in any year in which a general or special election is held. Adjusts signature verification timeframes.
Background
Current statute sets the date for the primary election as the first Tuesday in August in any year in which a general election or special election is held (A.R.S. §§ 16-201 and 16-206).
Statute requires the county recorder or other officer in charge of elections to allow for signatures to be corrected up until the fifth business day after a primary, general or special election that includes a federal office. Voters likewise have until the fifth business day after a primary, general or special election that includes a federal office to provide proof of identification if the ballot is a conditional provisional ballot (A.R.S. § 16-550). Additionally, a standard provisional ballot must be compared to the applicable signature roster within 10 calendar days after a general election that includes a federal office and within 5 calendar days after any other election (A.R.S. § 16-135).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Moves the date of the primary election in any year in which a general election or special election is held from the first Tuesday in August to the last Tuesday in July.
2. Allows a person who collects nominating signatures for the 2026 primary election on forms that include the election date of August 4, 2026, to lawfully submit those signatures for the primary election to be held on July 28, 2026, regardless of whether the signatures were collected before, on or after the effective date of this legislation.
3. Deems that signatures that are collected with the August 4, 2026 primary date and that comply with all other requirements are valid for the July 28, 2026 primary election and may not be deemed invalid due solely to the changed primary date or for any clerical error by an election official in the preparation of electronic petitions.
4. Prohibits a filing officer from rejecting nominating petitions, nomination papers or signatures based solely on the date of the primary election.
5. States that no person is required to file a new or amended statement of interest based solely on the change in the 2026 primary election date.
6. Applies accommodations for signature and petition validity to any city, town or county initiative or referendum petition that is circulated before, on or after the effective date of this legislation.
7. Requires any election item that was duly called by a city, town or county for the August 4, 2026 primary election date to be placed on the ballot for the newly designated primary election date of July 28, 2026.
8. Requires signature verification for provisional ballots to take place within:
a) 6 calendar days, rather than 10 calendar days, after a general election that includes a federal office; and
b) 5 calendar days, rather than business days, after any other election.
9. Requires the county recorder to provide for signature correction up until the fifth calendar day, rather than business day, after a primary, general or special election that includes a federal office.
10. Requires a voter to provide proof of identification for a conditional provisional ballot no later than the fifth calendar day, rather than business day, after a primary, general or special election that includes a federal office.
11. Allows the county chairman of each party to designate party agents, representatives or alternates to act as challengers at any voting center, including in-person early voting locations and emergency voting locations.
12. Allows the county chairman of each party to designate a party representative and alternates to serve as observers for each ballot replacement location and requires such representatives to be Arizona residents who are registered to vote.
13. Makes technical and conforming changes.
14. Becomes effective on signature of the Governor, if the emergency clause is enacted.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 2, 2026
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