Every two years, a state Primary Election is held 11 weeks before the General Election. The Primary Election is for the purpose of nominating party nominees to be voted for in the General Election to fill a national, state, county, or district office. A General Election is held on the second Tuesday in November of every even-numbered year.
Election Dates for 2022 are:
- Primary Election: August 23
- General Election: November 8
Contact your county Supervisor of Elections for the most up-to-date information.
Deadline to Register (Book Closing)
Eligible individuals can register to vote at any time. The deadline to register in order to participate in an upcoming election is 29 days before the election. The registration deadlines for 2022 are:
- Primary Election: July 25
- General Election: October 11
Vote-by-Mail Ballot ‘Send’ Deadline
State law requires Supervisors of Elections to send, within the following specified timeframes, to voters who already have requests on file:
For absent stateside and overseas uniformed service member and overseas civilian voters (also known as UOCAVA voters), Supervisors of Elections send the ballots no later than 45 days before an election. The send deadlines for 2022 are:
- Primary Election: July 9
- General Election: September 24
For domestic voters, Supervisors of Elections send the ballots during a 7-day window which is between 40 and 33 days before an election. The send periods for 2022 are:
- Primary Election: July 14 – 21
- General Election: September 29 – October 6
Vote-by-Mail Ballot Request and Return Deadlines The deadline to request that a vote-by-mail ballot be mailed is no later than 5:00 p.m. (local time) on the 10th day before the election. The deadlines for 2022 are:
- Primary Election: August 13
- General Election: October 29
A vote-by-mail ballot must be returned and received by the Supervisor of Elections in the county of registration no later than 7:00 p.m. (local time) on election day for the respective election in order to be counted.
*A 10-day extension exists only for overseas voters for the Presidential Preference Primary and General Election only.
For more information about voting by mail, visit the Division of Elections’ webpages Vote-by-Mail and Military and Overseas Citizens Voting.
Early Voting Period
By law, early voting must be held at least for 8 days. The mandatory early voting periods for 2022 are:
- Primary Election: August 13 – 20
- General Election: October 29 – November 5
Each county Supervisor of Elections may offer more days of early voting from one or more of the following days:
- Primary Election: August 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 21
- General Election: October 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, and November 6
Check with your county Supervisor of Elections for the additional days of early voting that may be offered in your county. For more information about early voting, visit the Division of Elections’ webpage on Early Voting.
