Early voting starts today, 12 vote centers open in Maricopa County

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) - Election season is officially underway with early voting starting Wednesday across Arizona!

“The November election is no longer just on November 8th. It is 27 days of voting, and you have a lot of opportunities to cast your ballot in the way in which works for you,” Megan Gilbertson, Communications Director for Maricopa County Elections Department, said.

In Maricopa County, 12 vote centers will open on Wednesday with more opening as election day nears. On Nov. 8th, 223 vote centers will open for Maricopa County voters to cast their ballot, but the majority of them will vote by mail. Gilbertson said only 12% of Maricopa County voters cast a ballot on primary day in August. “We’re mailing out over 1.9-million early ballots to all the voters on the active early voting list and those who have requested a one-time ballot. Voters can expect to get these ballots in the mail by the end of this week or towards the early parts of next week,” Gilbertson said.

From ads to mailers, the campaigns will kick it into high gear over the next 27 days as Election Day nears. “One of the things that I think we should be watching for is that October surprise. What does somebody roll out, something in the next couple of days to try to gain an advantage and gain the discussion as we go into this early voting, especially this first weekend,” Paul Bentz with HighGround said. “This first weekend is very essential. A lot of people will be sitting down to make up their mind, so I think that’s one thing to watch.”

Voters who are on the Active Early Voting List or have requested a ballot-by-mail can look forward to their ballot arriving in their mailbox soon! You should receive a ballot for every election you are eligible for. All ballots will come with their own postage-paid return envelope, no extra postage required. After sealing a ballot in the return envelope, voters have to sign and date the envelope and write their phone number in the form so election officials can reach them if needed.

Ballots can be either mailed or dropped off at the County Recorder’s Office, at any voting location, any secure ballot drop box or any Election Day voting location. All ballots have to be received by the office at 7 p.m. on Election Day. Early voting will stop on Friday, Nov. 4, but in some counties emergency voting options will be available. Want more info? Click here.

Copyright 2022 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.