Can you vote with a felony in Arizona?

How the right comes back

Depends on the conviction

Automatic: a person with no earlier felony conviction who completes probation for an Arizona offense or receives an absolute discharge from imprisonment, and who pays all victim restitution, has civil rights, including the right to vote, restored automatically (A.R.S. § 13-907(A)); the Secretary of State says this includes all probation or parole. No application is needed, but a person who wants confirmation may apply to the convicting court to certify the automatic restoration, and the court must grant it without a response from the state or a hearing. Application, granted as of right: a person whose first felony conviction was in another state or a federal court, and who has paid all victim restitution, must file an application, which the court must grant without a hearing (A.R.S. § 13-907(B)); it is filed in the superior court of the county where the person now lives (§ 13-908(C)-(D)). Application, at the judge's discretion: a person with more than one felony conviction, or who has not paid all victim restitution, may apply to the superior court after final discharge (completion of probation or absolute discharge from prison), and restoration is up to the judge (A.R.S. § 13-908(A), (G)); the clerk may not charge a filing fee. The Secretary of State's guide says people with several Arizona convictions must file in each county where they were convicted, and that the clerk of the superior court provides the application form. After rights are restored, the person must submit a new voter registration form, because a felony conviction cancels the registration (A.R.S. § 16-165(A)(4)).^3,4,6,7,8

Fines, fees and restitution

Required for some people

Automatic restoration requires payment of all victim restitution (A.R.S. § 13-907); the statute does not list fines or fees as a condition. A person who has not paid victim restitution can still apply to the superior court, where restoration is discretionary (A.R.S. § 13-908). The Secretary of State's guide also names 'other court-ordered fines and fees' as a factor in where to file, and the Spanish version of its registration page mentions fines; the statute's condition for automatic restoration names only victim restitution.^3,4,7,8

Registering again

Yes

Once the right is back, Arizona requires a new voter registration before voting.^6,7

Misdemeanors and jail

Misdemeanors do not affect voting. The Secretary of State says people serving a sentence for a misdemeanor conviction remain eligible to register and vote.^5,8

The Secretary of State says people held in pretrial detention remain eligible to register and vote, and county recorders may work with jails to deliver and return ballots by mail.⁸

Convictions from another state or federal court

A felony conviction from another state or a federal court also suspends voting rights. With a first felony conviction and victim restitution paid, the person applies to the superior court in the county where they now live and the court must grant it (A.R.S. §§ 13-907(B), 13-908(C)-(D)); with more than one, the person applies in the county of residence, listing all convictions, and restoration is discretionary (A.R.S. § 13-908). People with convictions both in Arizona and elsewhere may also need to apply in the Arizona county where they were convicted.^3,4,7

What's changed

September 24, 2022: Laws 2022, Ch. 199 (H.B. 2119), signed April 29, 2022 and in effect on the session's general effective date, September 24, 2022, changed the restoration process: sentencing courts must tell people in writing and on the record whether their rights will be restored automatically or when they can apply; probation or the Department of Corrections must give people a copy of the sentencing order on discharge; people with convictions from other states apply in their county of residence; and, according to the Secretary of State's guide, supporting documents are no longer required with an application. A 2026 bill to limit the suspension to the term of imprisonment (HB 4075) was introduced but not passed.⁹

The law

• A.R.S. § 13-904(A)(1)
• A.R.S. § 13-906
• A.R.S. § 13-907
• A.R.S. § 13-908
• A.R.S. § 16-101(A)(5)
• A.R.S. § 16-165(A)(4)

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