The Cochise County Elections Department has announced changes to the 2026 Primary Election schedule following recent legislation. On February 6, HB2022 was signed into law with an emergency clause, resulting in the Primary Election being moved up by two weeks.
Several deadlines related to the election have also changed. The new key dates are as follows: the candidate filing deadline is March 23, the UOCAVA deadline is June 6, and the last day to register to vote is June 22. Early voting will begin on June 24, which is also when early ballots will be mailed. The last day to request a mail-in ballot is July 10. Election Day will now take place on July 21.
Voters are encouraged to review these updated dates carefully. “Candidates, military and overseas voters (UOCAVA voters) and individuals planning to vote early or by mail should take special note of the adjusted timeline,” according to information from the department.
For additional details about voter registration resources or how to request a mail ballot for the 2026 Primary Election, residents can visit the Cochise County Elections website or contact the department directly at 520-432-8970. More information is available at https://www.cochise.az.gov/292/Elections.
In recent years, educational outcomes in Cochise County have presented challenges. According to data from the Arizona Department of Education, most students struggled with standardized tests during the past school year. For example, about 70% of students in grades three through eight did not pass the mathematics section of the AASA assessment (https://www.azed.gov/), while approximately 76% of high schoolers did not pass math on the ACT (https://www.azed.gov/). In English assessments, about 62.4% of students in grades three through eight failed that section of AASA (https://www.azed.gov/) and roughly 65% of high schoolers did not pass English on the ACT (https://www.azed.gov/).
Recent results show some improvement: in mathematics for high schoolers during the current school year’s ACT test cycle, about 27% passed (https://www.azed.gov/), and among third through eighth graders taking AASA math assessments this year, approximately 28.5% passed (https://www.azed.gov/).
The county continues efforts both in election administration and education as these dates approach.
