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Arizona moves its primary from August to July

By

Andrew Bahl

Arizona’s 2026 primary will now occur on July 21, after Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) signed legislation on Feb. 6 that moves up the state’s primary date.

Under HB 2022, primary elections will now take place on the second-to-last Tuesday in July. Previously, primaries occurred on the first Tuesday in August.

HB 2022 passed on a 56-0 vote in the state House and a 27-1 vote in the state Senate, with Sen. Sally Ann Gonzales (D) the sole member voting no.

A statement from the Arizona state Senate Republicans said the move was needed to address timing conflicts affecting military and overseas voters, giving them more time to return their ballots before the general election.

“By working together across chambers, we delivered a commonsense election bill that protects military voters, brings clarity to our election calendar, and strengthens transparency for Arizona voters,” state Sen. Wendy Rogers (R) said. “This is how the process should work." 

The legislation allows signatures gathered on petition forms with the old primary date to be valid. It also makes the following changes:

  1. Changes the time for officials to compare a provisional ballot with a list of early voters from five business days to five calendar days. 
  2. Changes the time for officials to compare a provisional ballot with the polling place roster from 10 calendar days to seven calendar days.
  3. Allows county party chairs to appoint election observers for ballot replacement locations
  4. Allows county party chairs to appoint challengers at polling places and early-voting centers.

This is the second time in recent years that Arizona has moved its primary election date. In 2024, Hobbs signed a law moving up that year’s primary by a week to July 30.

In 2025, 23 states enacted 49 laws related to election dates. Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi enacted legislation adjusting their primary election dates for at least some elections. In 2024, 18 states, including Arizona, enacted 33 laws related to election dates.

Thus far in 2026, legislators in 32 states have introduced or retained from the 2025 session 147 bills that would adjust election dates. Sixteen of those bills have passed at least one chamber of a state legislature, including SB 8604 in New York, which changes the date of the state’s presidential primary.