Arizona Lawmakers Plan Early Session Debate on Permanent July Primary Date

Arizona lawmakers are set to take up legislation early in the 2026 session that would permanently shift the state’s primary election to July, making the temporary 2024 schedule change a standing feature of future election cycles.

Under the current statute, Arizona’s primary traditionally falls in the first week of August. That date was moved to the final week of July for the 2024 cycle under a one-year law enacted in response to federal reporting deadlines and concerns raised by election officials. The earlier date was intended to provide counties more time to certify results, conduct any required recounts, and meet federal timelines.

Rep. Alex Kolodin (R-LD3) pre-filed House Bill 2022 to codify the July primary on a permanent basis. According to the Arizona Capitol Times, the bill is expected to be among the first heard when the Legislature gavels into session.

Kolodin said the proposal reflects lessons learned from recent elections, particularly surrounding recount procedures and federal compliance. The Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022 tightened several election timelines, and in Arizona, it triggered a change to the state’s recount threshold—from one-tenth of a percent to one-half of a percent. Election administrators have since warned that an August primary date could make it challenging to complete a recount while still meeting federal reporting requirements.

HB 2022 would also authorize county party chairs to place official observers at voting locations, reviving a debate that played out last year. In 2024, Gov. Katie Hobbs vetoed similar observer-language legislation, arguing that counties lacked the resources to manage additional oversight responsibilities.

“This is another commonsense measure that recent election cycles have demonstrated is critical to clean elections in Arizona,” Kolodin told the Times. “The bill ensures that Arizonans will not be disenfranchised by Congress’ mistakes and clarifies that independent observers are permitted at all voting locations.”

It remains unclear whether that provision will survive this year’s process. The Arizona Association of Counties told reporters it has not taken a position on whether to include observer requirements in the bill. Lawmakers are expected to introduce companion bills without the observer language to give negotiators flexibility if the original measure stalls.

Jen Marson, executive director of the Arizona Association of Counties, told the Times, “We tried to do it last session and we had what we thought was a pretty good vote count, but then we got word that we should not move forward this year and we should wait and do it first out of the gate in 2026. So that’s what we’re doing.”

“We did take a lot of heat for changing the primary in the year of the primary and I did not want to do that again, but here we are — so that’s what we’re going to need to do.”

The temporary 2024 law that moved the primary date also shortened the time frame for voters to cure mismatched or missing signatures on early ballots—from five business days to five calendar days. HB 2022 would permanently continue that adjustment.

Democrats opposed the calendar-day cure period during the 2024 debate, contending the change could disadvantage voters who rely on weekend mail or have limited access to county election offices on Saturdays and Sundays.

While the structure of the final package is still being shaped, legislative leaders expect the primary-date issue to move quickly. Election officials have urged lawmakers to act well ahead of the 2026 cycle to give counties enough time to plan staffing, ballot processing, equipment calibration, and canvass deadlines.