Arizona early voting starts for general election

PHOENIX (AP) - Early voting in Arizona's Nov. 6 general election starts Thursday.

More than half of Arizona's registered voters use early ballots to vote - nearly 53% in the last presidential election four years ago and 61% in 2010.

Early ballots must be in the hands of election officials by 7 p.m. on Nov. 6 to be counted. They can be dropped off at elections offices, mailed in or dropped off a polling place on election day.

Early ballots can be requested through Oct. 26, but Secretary of State Ken Bennett says approximately 1.5 million Arizona voters have signed up to automatically get early ballots.

Maricopa County mails 1.1 million early ballots Thursday.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.