Hundreds of thousands of Arizonans could be removed from the mail voting list in 2027

Arizona will begin removing voters from its automatic early voting list in 2027 under a 2021 law requiring county recorders to drop anyone who skips mail voting for two consecutive four-year cycles. A 2022 Brennan Center study estimated about 340,000 voters — 12% of the early voting list — could have been removed had the law been in force then, with nonwhite voters at higher risk.

The Arizona Secretary of State's Office says it cannot yet estimate how many voters will actually be affected and does not expect that analysis before this November's election. Removed voters are not purged from the rolls entirely and can rejoin the list, but research on similar laws in Texas found they shifted voting patterns and reduced participation.

Former Gov. Doug Ducey called the law an “election integrity” measure when he signed it in 2021; Democrats called it voter suppression. County officials must send notices to affected voters by Jan. 15, 2027, but the state does not require phone, text or email outreach beyond that letter.

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