Know Your Voting Rights

Media Contacts
Diane E. Brown

Arizona PIRG Education Fund

If you have any problems when you go to vote, call 1.866.OUR.VOTE to report your problems and get advice on what to do.  Here are some things to keep in mind when you go vote:

Take ID To the Polls
Arizona requires that voters must have ID at the time that they cast their ballot.  Voters may use a valid Arizona driver license, a valid Arizona non-operating identification license, a tribal enrollment card or other form of tribal ID, or any valid United States federal, state, or local government issued identification.  There are additional methods of showing your identification, and they are listed on the Arizona Secretary of State’s website – http://www.azsos.gov/

What To Do if Your Name Isn’t On the List
Do not panic if you registered to vote but your name is not on the list. Get help from a poll worker to make sure your vote is counted. You should do the following: (1) check to see if you should be at another polling place; (2) as a last resort, you can fill out a provisional ballot at your polling location.

What’s a Provisional Ballot?
These ballots are intended to make sure that voters whose eligibility is in question on Election Day can still cast a vote and have their vote be counted. You would use a provisional ballot if you are having ID problems and/or appear to have been purged incorrectly. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) requires that provisional ballots be counted if the voter is eligible to vote by state law, but some election officials have applied standards for counting provisional ballots that are unrelated to voter eligibility. Voting by provisional ballot should be your last resort. The state must notify you as to whether your ballot was counted.

What To Do If You’re Confused
Look at the signs at the polling place for directions on how to use the voting machine, a list of your voting rights, and instructions for filing a complaint if your rights have been violated, as well as when to ask for a new ballot if yours is “spoiled.” You can also ask any of the poll workers to help you. If you are at the wrong place, they should tell you how to get to the right one.

Once You’re In Line, You’re Good
Once you are in line, you can vote. Just make sure you are in line before your polling place closes. You probably will not have to wait too long. Even if the line is long, do not leave without voting. Remember, this is your chance to make politicians pay attention to young voters! If you are worried about long lines, try go to the polls during off hours:  10 a.m.–11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.– 3:30 p.m. Also, Arizona has early voting, so you can vote before Election Day. 

See your county’s Board of Elections webpage for more details.

Topics