Yuma County opens downtown auditorium for early, emergency voting access

Yuma County has put the old Board of Supervisors auditorium downtown into service as an early and emergency voting site, a move that gives voters a central place to cast ballots before the 2026 primary and general elections. The location at 185 and 197 S. Main Street is meant to make voting easier for people who need a more accessible site, including residents who depend on handicap access or need a place that can handle heavier traffic.

The county said the auditorium will be part of the new Yuma County Administration Services Building, a three-story project of about 100,000 square feet planned for the downtown government campus. County materials said the finished building will bring the Board of Supervisors auditorium, Recorder and Voter and Election Services, Treasurer, Assessor, School Superintendent, Human Resources, Financial Services and other offices into one downtown location, giving county residents multiple services in the same place.

The campus plan dates back to April 2021, when the Yuma County Board of Supervisors approved the purchase of 185 S. Main Street and the demolition of the existing structures on the combined site. Demolition at 185 and 197 S. Main Street was completed in May 2023, and county project materials said construction was expected to be finished in summer 2025.

The voting decision fits the county’s election duties under Arizona law. Yuma County says it administers, prepares, conducts and tallies federal, state and county elections under the Board of Supervisors, and election rules require supervisors to set early voting sites along with emergency voting days and hours. Supervisor Tony Reyes said site selection turns on access and traffic handling. “We choose sites based on their accessibility and on their ability to provide different services in this case mostly handicap services…flexibility to handle a lot of this traffic,” he said.

That downtown location could matter most for voters who wait until the last minute or need a more convenient place to vote in person. Yuma County’s election calendar lists the 2026 primary midterm election for July 21 and the general midterm election for Nov. 3, setting the timeline for a site that can help determine how easily ballots get cast when turnout pressure is highest.