U.S. judge orders state to extend voter registration deadline

Update: The extension of the voter registration deadline was curtailed by a federal appeals court on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Residents had until Thursday, Oct. 15, to register to vote in the Nov. 3 election.

EARLIER STORY

With just hours remaining for Arizonans to register to vote for the Nov. 3 general election, a federal judge on Monday ordered the deadline extended to Oct. 23.

U.S. District Judge Steven P. Logan said the coronavirus pandemic had squelched face-to-face registration efforts.

The judge said that while the state has made it easier to register online and other ways, many residents still lack access to the internet.

In his 10-page order, Logan wrote: “Registering to vote has never been easier for some, though others are not so fortunate. Ballot access is an extremely important right, and it has been restricted during this unprecedented time.”

“Voter confusion undermines public trust in the electoral process, and it is highly important that Defendant retains a sense of integrity in its procedures,” the judge also wrote. “However, a core tenet of democracy is to be ruled by a government that represents the population. Due to COVID-19, a portion of the population is prevented from registering to vote, and thus the integrity of the election is undermined in a different way; that portion is going unrepresented. Extending the deadline would give more time for those voters to register and let their voices be heard through the democratic process.”

The order resulted from a lawsuit filed less than a week ago by two advocacy groups who contested the Oct. 5 deadline for registration. The plaintiffs claimed they will be register tens of thousands of voters with the extension.

In addition to the presidency of the United States, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate, including one of Arizona’s two seats, will be contested. State and local elections are on the ballot as well, including a seat on the Maricopa City Council and three seats on the Maricopa Unified School District Governing Board.

Registration can be done online, by mail (postmarked by Monday, Oct. 5) or in person at the Pinal County Recorder’s office by 5 p.m. Monday.

The last day to request an early ballot remains Oct. 23. Application for an early ballot can be made online here.

Early voting runs from Oct. 7 to 30. In Maricopa, an early ballot drop box will be at the Maricopa Stanfield Justice Court, 19955 Wilson Ave.

On Oct. 14 and 29, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Pinal County Mobile Voter Outreach Van will visit Copper Sky Recreational Complex parking lot so voters can drop off their early ballots or request an early ballot to vote on site.

Whether submitted by mail or in person, they must be received by 7 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3, or dropped off at any polling place in the county on the day of the election before polls close.

You can download a voter registration form here.

Arizona Revised Statues 16-120 requires that the voter registration deadline is midnight of the 29th day prior to the election.