Live updates for Arizona’s 2026 primaries: Polls close, candidates await results

Polls have closed in Tuesday's primary election. Votes are being counted in races that will determine party nominees for the Nov. 3 general election.

BY KTAR.COM

Jul 21, 2026, 2:21 PM Updated: 8:02 pm

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Tuesday is Election Day for Arizona’s midterm primaries.

Registered voters have until 7 p.m. to cast ballots for their preferred party nominees for the Nov. 3 general election. Early voting started June 24.

In Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of the state’s population, voters can fill out ballots or drop off completed mail ballots at any of the Phoenix area’s 230-plus voting locations. Voters who are registered without a party affiliation can participate in one party primary of their choice.

The Maricopa County Elections Department, under the oversight of the Board of Supervisors, is responsible for Election Day voting operations in the Phoenix area. The Maricopa County Recorder’s Office was in charge of early voting and handles all mail ballot signature verification duties.

In-person voters or people who want to tabulate their completed early ballots onsite must show a valid form of identification.

The county elections website has a searchable map that shows the wait times at each location.

The Arizona Secretary of State Office’s website has a page with contact information and links to official sites for all 15 counties.

The first batch of results will be released at 8 p.m.

KTAR News 92.3 and KTAR.com will be covering the latest developments and results throughout the day, including a special Election Day report airing from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

7:51 p.m.: Justin Heap expects signature verification to be done midday Wednesday

Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap is confident signature verification of mail-in ballots turned in on election day will be completed by midday Wednesday.

“I think internally at our office, we’ve done quite a bit to improve signature verification. I think both our accuracy and speed,” Heap said. “In the previous elections we’ve run, we’ve been able to cut that time on processing late earlies from days down to hours.”

7 p.m.: Primary polls officially close

The primary election is officially over. Anyone in line is still able to vote, but live updates from Maricopa polling places show no waiting.

The first round of election results is expected at 8 p.m.

6:41 p.m.: Katie Hobbs targets Andy Biggs

As the final votes were still being cast, Gov. Katie Hobbs met with campaign staff. She took the opportunity to criticize Andy Biggs, the expected winner of the Republican primary and her eventual challenger.

Read her comments here.

6 p.m.: Almost 76,000 primary ballots counted an hour before polls close

Election officials announced on X that around 76,000 voters had checked in at 6 p.m. just an hour before polls were set to close. They noted that all voting centers were open with no waits for any last minute votes.

5 p.m.: Election sites see an early evening bump

In a 5 p.m. update, 66,800 voters have checked in across Maricopa County voting centers, election officials announced on X. There were no issues reported at any of the 236 polling places.

3:30 p.m.: No waits at Maricopa County vote centers as turnout hits 53,600

About 53,600 voters had checked in at Maricopa County vote centers as of 3.30 p.m., officials reported on X.

All 236 vote centers were open, and none had wait times.

Maricopa County Supervisor Kate Brophy McGee said operations had been smooth, with no equipment issues reported.

She also highlighted a new process allowing voters to convert early ballots to Election Day ballots at vote centers has been popular.

Voters show ID, have their signature verified and put the ballot through a tabulator.

“That’s proven very, very popular,” Brophy McGee told reporters.

She added about 30% of voters were using the option.

Turnout appeared a little bit lighter than expected for a midterm primary but still within the county’s planning range, said Brophy McGee.

2:07 p.m.: DOJ says it’s watching polls in three Arizona counties

The U.S. Department of Justice released a statement saying it is monitoring polls in Maricopa, Apache and Pima counties during Tuesday’s election, with staff from the Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Arizona observing vote-casting procedures.

Election officials in the three counties issued credentials to DOJ personnel, allowing them to observe at various polling sites. Officials said the effort is meant to promote transparency, election security and voter access. The DOJ also monitored four counties during the 2024 election.

2 p.m.: Almost 42,000 primary ballots counted in Maricopa County

Election officials announced on X that nearly 41,600 voters had checked in at vote centers across Maricopa County.

1:22 p.m.: Ballot tabulation crews prepare for polls to close around 7 p.m.

MCTEC was quiet early Tuesday afternoon because ballot tabulation crews were not expected to return until around 7 or 7:30 p.m., depending on workload, Maricopa County Elections’ Adrian Borunda said.

A few election workers could still be seen in the background as preparations continued.

11:10 a.m.: Supervisor explains technical issue

Maricopa County Supervisor Mark Stewart said a small number of Election Day voters were affected when site books could not connect with the internet.

“Even one’s too many, but it was about four. And then I didn’t hear about anybody in particular at any of the other locations. I’ve only heard about two locations that had hiccups as it relates to connectivity, but from what I understand right now, we’re running at 100%,” Stewart told KTAR News’ The Mike Broomhead Show.

10:30 a.m.: Election Day ballot number update

Borunda said nearly 17,000 voters had cast ballots in person at Maricopa County vote centers as of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. The figure reflects only Election Day in-person voting and does not include early ballots or ballot drop-offs.

10:21 a.m.: Supervisor reports ‘connectivity issues’

District 1 Supervisor Mark Stewart sent an email bulletin acknowledging “connectivity issues at a limited number of polling locations.”

Voters were reminded that they can cast ballots at any polling location in the county if the encounter issues. They can also request a provisional ballot.

“We are making sure teams on the ground know exactly what to do so no eligible voter gets turned away. If you ran into delays earlier today, feel free to swing back by or try another site nearby,” said Stewart, an East Valley Republican.

10 a.m.: Election Day ballot number update

The Maricopa County Elections Department announced that approximately 15,231 voters had checked in at vote centers across the Valley since the polls opened.

8:13 a.m.: Voter shares his opinion

A voter named James said he’s sick and tired of politics being treated like a team sport. He shared his opinion outside the polling place at the Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus in Mesa. Watch:

7:20 a.m.: Maricopa County website glitch

Maricopa County workers confirmed that the elections website went down around 4 a.m. Tuesday, but it was up again and working in the 5 a.m. hour. No reason was given for the outage.

7:11 a.m.: Early voting hater

KTAR News reporter Colton Krolak spoke with a voter named Kevin, who isn’t a fan of early voting, outside the polling place at the Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus in Mesa. Watch:

6:44 a.m.: Sec. Adrian Fontes weighs in

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes joined KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News to explain how his office helps voters on Election Day — even though Arizona’s counties run the elections. He also shared where voters can find key resources and why this primary could see faster results.

“If we do end up with quicker results at the end of the day — which I think we may very well have — great,” Fontes said.

6 a.m.: It’s Election Day!

The polls opened.

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