Dear Maricopa County:


Arizona has had "no-excuse" vote by mail since 1992. It's by far the most popular form of voting in Arizona.

To vote by mail, you must first register to vote and confirm your identity.

Then you have to request a mail ballot, either by signing up for the Active Early Voting List (AEVL) or by making a one-time request at Request.Maricopa.Vote.

If you do this, you'll receive a yellow envelope like the below:
Additionally, if you're signed up for the USPS's informed delivery service, then you should have received a clickable email prior to receiving your ballot:
Inside the yellow envelope you'll find your ballot, instructions (with an "I Voted" sticker!), and a return green envelope.

There are over 15,000 different ballot styles for the August primary, each with unique timing and security marks.
When you're voting at home, you can use any type of BLACK or BLUE pen.

Do not use a pencil. Do not use a pen of a different color ink.
When you've completed your ballot, please put it in the return green envelope.

Seal that envelope.

Sign that envelope.

Please use the envelope that was sent to you. If you have other voters in your household, please do not put your ballot in, for example, your spouse's return envelope.

Each ballot should be returned in a separate green envelope (don't, for example, put your ballot and your spouse's ballot in one envelope).
This green return envelope is VERY important.

We do not accept mail ballots without this envelope.

Each green envelope has a unique bar code that links directly to your voter profile. As soon as we in-bound scan this envelope, it loads a vote to your ballot.

By doing that, if you tried to vote another ballot by mail or tried to vote in person, you'd be asked for vote a provisional ballot -- a ballot that does not count until further research is done.

This is how we make sure no voter registration profile tallies more than one vote.

You must also sign your ballot. We compare this signature with signatures in your voter file (your voter registration card and any past mail ballots).

If your signature does not match, we will contact you by text message, phone, email, or mail to attempt to "cure" your ballot by requesting personal identifying information.
To return your ballot, you have two options:

  • You can put your ballot in a USPS mail slot. You do not need to put a stamp on your return envelope. Please mail your ballot no later than July 26 so it gets to the elections department by 7:00 PM on August 2.

  • Or you can drop your ballot off at one of our voting locations or deposit locations (see all locations at Locations.Maricopa.Vote).

Arizona law allows you to handle the ballots of family members (my wife's ballot is with mine above), household members, or anyone for whom you are a caretaker. But nobody else.
Once you've either mailed or dropped of your ballot, you can track your ballot through all stages of the process by:


  • Or by texting "JOIN" to "628-683"
If you somehow damaged (e.g. spilled coffee on it) or lost your ballot, you can request a new mail ballot before July 22. Just email us at voterinfo@risc.maricopa.gov.

We will send you a new mail ballot and deactivate your old ballot packet.

If you need a new ballot, but it is after July 22, you can go to any of our voting locations Locations.Maricopa.Vote

Only after we've received your ballot, scanned your ballot, and signature verified your ballot do we send your ballot to our bipartisan processing teams (below).

But we'll save ballot processing and tabulation for another email.

Let me know if I can be of any help to you.

Happy voting!


Stephen 
Maricopa County Recorder
PAID FOR BY RICHER FOR RECORDER. AUTHORIZED BY STEPHEN RICHER.