To run as a write-in candidate in Arizona, you file a signed nomination paper with the correct election office no later than 5:00 p.m. on the 60th day before the election, and to vote for one, you write the name on the ballot and fill in the target bubble next to it. Write-in candidates in Arizona are only counted if they completed that filing; votes cast for anyone who skipped it are void.
Who Can File
A write-in candidate must be a qualified elector of the county or district the office represents, and must have lived in that county or district for at least 120 days before the election. City and town offices follow separate residency rules under A.R.S. 9-232 rather than the general statute.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 16-312 – Filing of Nomination Papers for Write-In Candidates
The nomination paper asks for the candidate’s actual residence address (or a post office box if the address is protected under A.R.S. 16-153), age, length of residence in the state, and date of birth. None of those fields are optional.
Filing the Nomination Paper
Write-in candidates do not gather petition signatures. They file a signed nomination paper declaring the office sought. The filing window opens 150 days before the election and closes at 5:00 p.m. on the 60th day before the election.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 16-312 – Filing of Nomination Papers for Write-In Candidates
Candidates for state or local office must file a financial disclosure statement along with the nomination paper. The filing officer will not accept the nomination paper without it.
Two situations change the deadline:
- If a ballot-listed candidate withdraws after official ballots have already been printed, a replacement write-in candidate may file as late as 5:00 p.m. on the fifth day before the election.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 16-343 – Filling Vacancy Caused by Death or Incapacity or Withdrawal
- For elections eligible for cancellation under A.R.S. 16-410, the deadline moves earlier, to the 106th day before the election.
Where to File
Federal, statewide, and legislative candidates file with the Arizona Secretary of State. Local candidates should contact their County Recorder’s Office for the correct filing procedure.3Arizona Secretary of State. Elected Office Terms
Who Is Barred From Filing
Arizona’s sore-loser rules in A.R.S. 16-312(F) block several categories of candidates from running as write-ins:
- Someone who ran in the immediately preceding primary and was not nominated for the office they now want to seek in the general.
- Someone who filed petitions for the preceding primary or for independent nomination and did not collect enough valid signatures for the office sought.
- Someone who filed petitions in the current primary for the same office and either came up short on valid signatures, withdrew after a challenge was filed, or was removed by court order.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 16-312 – Filing of Nomination Papers for Write-In Candidates
One narrow exception applies. A replacement write-in candidate filing under A.R.S. 16-343(D), after a candidate withdraws or is removed once ballots are already printed, is not subject to the sore-loser bar. A primary loser can step in through that path.2Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 16-343 – Filling Vacancy Caused by Death or Incapacity or Withdrawal
Vote Thresholds That Decide a Win
Winning the most write-in votes in a primary is not automatically enough. A write-in candidate from a party already qualified for continued ballot representation must receive at least as many votes as the number of petition signatures a regular candidate would have needed to qualify for the ballot for that same office. Fall short of that number and the nomination is not awarded, even if no one else ran.4Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 16-645 – Canvass and Return of Precinct Vote
A write-in running under a party that has not yet qualified for continued ballot representation only needs a plurality of that party’s votes for the office, with no fixed minimum. The signature-equivalent minimum also applies to write-in candidates for precinct committeeman and for nonpartisan offices; without clearing it, no certificate of election is issued.
The general election works differently. Whoever receives the highest number of legal votes wins, under the plurality rule in the Arizona Constitution.5Arizona Legislature. Arizona Constitution – Article VII, Section 7 Certified write-in votes are tallied alongside those for ballot-listed candidates, with no separate threshold.
Extra Steps for Presidential Write-Ins
A presidential write-in has to do more than file a single nomination paper. The candidate must designate, in writing to the Secretary of State, a vice presidential running mate and a full slate of presidential electors equal in number to Arizona’s congressional delegation, currently 11.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 16-312 – Filing of Nomination Papers for Write-In Candidates
A separate nomination paper must be filed for each designated elector alongside the presidential candidate’s own, and the running mate and every elector must sign a statement consenting to the designation. Missing any piece makes the filing incomplete.
How to Cast a Write-In Vote That Counts
Two things have to happen on the ballot. Write the candidate’s name in the designated write-in space, and fill in the target (the oval or box) next to that line. The tabulation equipment reads the marked target during initial processing, so a handwritten name with no mark will not be counted. Ballot instructions are required to warn voters of this rule.6Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes 16-448 – Write-In Votes
Spelling does not have to be exact. Abbreviations, misspellings, and minor name variations are disregarded as long as the voter’s intent is clear and the name corresponds to a certified write-in candidate. The Secretary of State publishes a Voter Intent Guide with examples of what counts.7Arizona Secretary of State. Arizona Voter Intent Guide
You do not have to remember who filed. Polling place inspectors are required to post the list of certified write-in candidates in a conspicuous location at the polling place.1Arizona Legislature. Arizona Code 16-312 – Filing of Nomination Papers for Write-In Candidates If you are voting by mail, check the Secretary of State’s website or your County Recorder’s office for the current list before filling out your ballot. Writing in a name that is not on the certified list produces a vote that will not be counted.