2026 Midterms State GuideArizona
Hold on to your hot sauce and Sonoran hot dog.
- PrimaryStatewideJul. 21This date has passed.
- Election DayGeneralNov. 3
Updated
Hi! It’s me, Shadrach. Apparently, I’m your civic guide today. If you’ve been complaining about how things are going (and I’ve heard you, the walls are thin), this guide will help you feel informed and able to vote in this year’s midterms. Now, hold on to your hot sauce and Sonoran hot dog, and let’s get into it.
Arizona at a glance
Arizona votes on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, for governor, all 9 U.S. House seats and eight statewide ballot measures.
- Election Day
- Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026
- Voter registration
- Oct. 5: Voter registration deadline
- Early voting
- Oct. 7: Early voting begins
- Governor
- 6 candidates
- U.S. House
- 9 seats
- Statewide ballot measures
- 8
Your to-do list
0 of 3 doneImportant dates
- Sept. 19UOCAVA deadline (military/overseas ballot request cutoff) This date has passed.
- Oct. 5Voter registration deadline
- Oct. 7Early voting begins
- Oct. 23Last day to request an early ballot by mail
- Oct. 30Last day to vote early in person
- Nov. 3Election Day
What’s at stake
Arizona has no U.S. Senate race in 2026 (Senator Mark Kelly (D) won his seat in 2022 and is up again in 2028) but a competitive race for governor. Incumbent Katie Hobbs, who won one of the tightest governor's races in modern Arizona history in 2022, faces MAGA hardliner Andy Biggs. Arizona voters say their top concerns are the economy (34%) and immigration and threats to democracy. Another pressing issue, particularly in Phoenix and Tucson, where home prices have surged, is housing affordability. Arizona's first-ever jointly elected lieutenant governor position, created by Proposition 131 in 2022, means governor nominees must also announce a running mate, adding a new wrinkle to an already consequential race.
Who’s on your ballot
Tap a race to see the candidates.
Arizona is choosing a governor
See whose priorities line up with yours
Here are the top priorities each candidate lists, in their own words. Pick the 3 that matter most to you. Names stay hidden until you see your results.
0 of 3 picked
Andy BiggsRepublicanCurrent U.S. Representative, district 5
Top priorities- Sealing the southern border through aggressive state-level enforcement and cooperation with federal authorities
- Reducing the size of state government and cutting taxes to attract businesses and lower the cost of living
- Defending election integrity and opposing ranked-choice voting and other changes to Arizona's voting system
Katie HobbsDemocratincumbent
Top priorities- Protecting reproductive rights and access to healthcare for all Arizonans
- Securing Arizona's long-term water supply through smart management of the Colorado River and groundwater resources
- Growing Arizona's economy by investing in workforce development, semiconductor and clean energy industries, and education
- Top priorities
Risa LombardoGreen- Cutting the military budget dramatically.
- Moving away from fossil fuels and onto renewable energy.
- Demanding public financing of elections, open debates, and more representative voting systems.
- Top priorities
Teri HourihanArizona Independent Party- Pursue innovative solutions that increase affordability and expand access to care like developing employer rebate and incentive programs that help businesses provide healthcare coverage to their workforce, increasing transparency in healthcare pricing, and strengthening oversight to ensure insurance companies are not engaging in unfair pricing practices that drive up costs for consumers.
- Addressing affordability by strengthening water security, improving school funding, reforming government agencies, and reducing fraud and waste to create long-term affordability for residents.
- Promoting accountability by showing up for public debates.
- Gertritrude GonzalezRepublican
Write-in
- Alice NovoaRepublican
Write-in
All U.S. House of Representatives seats are up for election every two years. Find your district here.
- Shadrach’s big picture
Arizona sends 9 representatives to Congress. Republicans currently hold 6 seats and Democrats hold 3. With two Republican incumbents leaving to run for governor, Arizona's House map is more competitive than usual in 2026.
- Open seats
AZ-1 is an open seat after David Schweikert stepped down to run for governor. AZ-5 is also open after Andy Biggs vacated his seat for the gubernatorial race.
- Competitive districts
Cook Political Report rates AZ-6 (Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R) a toss-up. AZ-1 and AZ-5, now open, are also expected to be competitive in the general election.
Statewide ballot measures
8 to read before you go. Tap one to open it.
The amendment would keep the government from doing two things: 1) Imposing a type of tax that charges people for every mile they drive, and 2) Enacting laws that limit mileage or monitor the number of miles a person racks up.
Voting yessupports amending the constitution to ban taxes or fees charged for every mile a person drives, and laws that limit or monitor how many miles a person drivesVoting noopposes this amendment, leaving the door open for lawmakers to consider a per-mile tax or mileage limits in the futureThe amendment bans race-based preferential treatment and would prohibit the state from doing three things: 1) Forcing anyone to endorse special treatment (or discrimination) based on race or ethnicity; 2) Using public money to fund a DEI office or role in a public school/university (one whose job is to promote preferential treatment based on race or ethnicity); and 3) Requiring students or employees to take a class or training that promotes race-based DEI or "intersectionality" concepts.
Voting yessupports amending the constitution to ban race-based preferential treatment, including forcing anyone to endorse it, using public money for DEI offices or roles in public schools and universities, and requiring race-based DEI or "intersectionality" classes or trainingsVoting noopposes this amendment, adding none of these prohibitions to the constitutionThe amendment bundles several election policy changes into one amendment: 1) Only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote in elections (this is already law but would be locked into the Constitution); 2) Disallows foreign nationals from making donations to influence an Arizona election, and prohibits others from knowingly taking their money; 3) Requires every voter (even mail-in voters) to provide government-issued identification to cast a ballot; and 4) Grants voters the right to have their vote counted at their voting location, instead of a central counting location.
Voting yessupports adding citizen-only voting to the constitution, banning foreign donations to influence Arizona elections, requiring every voter (even mail-in voters) to show government-issued ID, and giving voters the right to have their vote counted at their voting locationVoting noopposes this amendment, keeping citizen-only voting in state law rather than the constitution and adding none of the other changesThe amendment impacts your shopping cart in two ways: 1) Keeps 2% the forever ceiling on grocery taxes. If a city already charges more than 2% (lookin’ at you Snowflake), it gets frozen. No coming down but also no going up; 2) Gives voters the final word on any increase in the future. If a city wants to raise grocery tax (up to the 2% cap), they gotta ask the people.
Voting yessupports capping grocery taxes at 2% for good, freezing any city rate that is already higher, and requiring a public vote before any city raises its grocery taxVoting noopposes this amendment, adding no constitutional cap on grocery taxes and no requirement that voters approve an increaseThis measure would declare drug cartels to be terrorist organizations and require the Arizona Department of Homeland Security do "everything within its authority to address the threat posed by drug cartels."
Voting yessupports declaring drug cartels terrorist organizations and requiring the Arizona Department of Homeland Security to do everything within its authority to address themVoting noopposes this measure, leaving drug cartels without a state terrorist designation and adding no new duty for the Arizona Department of Homeland SecurityAdopting this law would: 1) Prohibits schools and athletic associations from authorizing any individual from using a restroom, locker room, shower room, or other private space that is not designated for their sex; 2) Defines sex as the "biological status as male or female as recorded at birth on the individual's original birth certificate;" and 3) Doesn’t make exceptions for girls to play on boy’s sports teams, even in places where it’s currently allowed.
Voting yessupports requiring schools and athletic associations to limit restrooms, locker rooms, shower rooms, other private spaces, and sports teams by sex as recorded on an original birth certificate, with no exception for girls playing on boys’ teamsVoting noopposes adopting this law, keeping current rules for private spaces and sports teams, including where girls are allowed to play on boys’ teams todayThis measure would prohibit the government from installing and using new photo enforcement systems (think: speed and red-light cameras) to ID people who violate traffic laws and require local governments that have installed such systems to get voter thumbs-up in order to continue using them.
Voting yessupports banning new speed and red-light cameras and requiring local governments to win voter approval to keep using the ones they haveVoting noopposes this measure, letting governments keep installing and using speed and red-light cameras without a public voteThis measure would require that certain school districts (those with more than 7,500 students or counties with a population greater than 500,000) spend at least 60% of their budget on direct instructional expenses. What are direct instructional expenses? That would be determined by the auditor general (but probably things like teacher salaries and classroom expenses).
Voting yessupports requiring certain larger school districts to spend at least 60% of their budget on direct instructional expenses, as defined by the auditor generalVoting noopposes this measure, setting no minimum share of school district budgets that must go to direct instruction
Also on the ballot
Other races Arizona voters will decide.
- Lieutenant Governor
- Attorney General
- Secretary of State
- Mine Inspector
- Superintendent of Public Instruction
- Treasurer
- Corporation Commission (2 seats)
- State Senate
- State House
- State Supreme Court
- Intermediate appellate courts
- School boards
- Municipal government
- Recalls (removal of elected officials from office through a referendum)
- Local ballot measures
Whose job is it?
Ten things government does. Tap the office that does each one.
Whose job is it to…
1 of 10
Declare a state of emergency after a hurricane or flood?
Pass it on
Know someone voting in Arizona?
Send them the guide. It takes one tap, and it saves them an evening of arguing in a group chat.
A prayer for Arizona
Lord of the desert and the mountains, we lift up Arizona before You. As Arizonans prepare to choose their next governor and members of Congress, give them that same steadiness. In a race where the issues are real, and the stakes are high, may voters seek wisdom from above, not just from the loudest voices on their screens.
We pray for the candidates running across Arizona; may their campaigns be marked by honesty rather than theater. May the candidates speak truthfully about the challenges facing their state and propose solutions with real merit. And on and after election day, may Arizona's leaders govern with humility and genuine care for every resident, not just the ones who voted for them.
Amen.