On Friday, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs signed a bipartisan bill passed by the Arizona Legislature to change the date of the 2026 primary and permanently move Arizona primaries to the second to last Tuesday in July.
Previously, the date of the primary was the first Tuesday in August. This year’s Primary Election will take place on July 21, 2026.
The move was needed to allow elections officials more time to conduct election preparations for the general election, including ensuring that military and overseas voters have their ballots in time to participate in the General Election.
You must be registered to vote 29 days before the election are eligible to cast a ballot for the Primary.
New voter deadlines are as follows:
· Voter Registration Deadline: June 22, 2026
· Ballots are mailed to voters on the Active Early Voter List and In-Person Early Voting Begins: June 24, 2026
· Primary Election Day: July 21, 2026
The Primary date change also impacts filing deadlines for candidates running for office.
Filing Dates:
· Partisan Primary Candidate Filing: Feb. 21, 2026 – March 23, 2026
· Precinct Committeemen Write-In Deadline: April 6, 2026
· Write-In Candidate Filing Deadline: May 22, 2026
Arizona Republicans are celebrating the election integrity law involved because they say it locks in clear election rules, protects military voters serving overseas, and reinforces transparency at polling locations statewide.
The measure signed by Hobbs, HB 2022, is the House mirror of SB 1425, legislation advanced by Senate Judiciary & Elections Chair Wendy Rogers and carried in the House by Representative Alex Kolodin.
Republicans say the change “clearly requires authorized political party observers to be allowed at voting locations, including early and emergency voting sites, reinforcing transparency and public confidence in the process.”
SB 1425 passed the Senate this past Thursday, before advancing as its mirror, HB 2022, in the House, ensuring the policy moved forward efficiently and without delay.
According to Arizona Republican Party Chairman Sergio Arellano, Secretary of State Adrian Fontes “is once again disrupting the election process by failing to keep the E-Qual online candidate signature collection portal open and accessible to the public.”
🚨🚨 NEW 🚨🚨
AZGOP Chair Arellano: Secretary of State Fontes to Fails to Manage Candidate Petition EQual Portal, Denying Citizens Access to Democratic Process
This situation must be rectified immediately and we deserve an explanation.https://t.co/z5SDX7OyNz
— Republican Party of Arizona (@AZGOP) February 7, 2026
It is unclear what this latest development will have on the new timeline.
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