Early Voting in Arizona begins Wednesday: Here's what you need to know

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Voters will start heading to the polls across Arizona Wednesday as early voting kicks off in the state.

Early voting starts Oct. 9 and lasts through Nov. 1st. You can vote early in-person, or request a ballot by mail. The last day to request a ballot by mail is Oct. 25.

If you're mailing your ballot back, you should send it by Oct. 29 to make sure it's counted (in Arizona, ballots must be received by 7 p.m. on election day to be counted). Otherwise, you should drop it off at a county recorder's office or any ballot drop-off box.

If you live in Pima County and you're planning on voting in-person, you can use the map on pima.vote, the county's hub for all things voting, to find your nearest voting site. There, you can also find instructions on how to request a ballot by mail, sample ballots, and other information.

Again, the last day to vote early is Nov. 1. Election day is Nov. 5.

What's on the ballot?

Voters will be confronted with a four page ballot when they get into the voting booth, including a slew of races and propositions.

The biggest race is for president, in which Republican former president Donald Trump is facing off against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris.

Both of their running mates, Republican Ohio Senator JD Vance and Democrat Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, will be in Tucson Wednesday as early voting kicks off.

Down the ballot, there's also an open U.S. Senate seat in Arizona this election cycle. Democrat Represenative Ruben Gallego and Republican and one-time gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake are competing for the open seat, which was vacated by Kyrsten Sinema.

Here in Southern Arizona, you'll vote for one of two races for the U.S. House.

If you live in the 6th Congressional District, which combines part of Tucson and rural areas to the east and north, you'll be voting in the rematch between Juan Ciscomani and Kirsten Engel.

Rep. Ciscomani narrowly beat out Engel, the former state legislator, in 2022 for the seat.

If you live in the 7th Congressional District, which combines parts of Tucson, Bisbee, Nogales, and more rural areas to the west, you'll be choosing between long-time Represenative Raúl Grijalva and Republican challenger Daniel Butierez.

In Pima County, Democrat Sheriff Chris Nanos is running for reelection against Republican Challenger Heather Lappin.

KGUN 9 will be profiling each candidate in the run-up to the election. You can read those profiles and watch the full interviews here.

On top of other local and state candidates, there are 13 ballot propositions this year. They range from creating open primary elections, changing how state officers can enforce immigration laws, amending the state's constitution to guarantee access to abortion, and even changing the requirements to get a proposition on the ballot.

KGUN 9'S Craig Smith explains how Prop 138 could change how tipped workers are paid in Arizona:

Arizona's Citizens Clean Elections Commission has a full list of every proposition, and the Secretary of State's office has a pamphlet breaking down all 13 of them.