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What Time Do Polls Close on Election Day 2026?
Every state's poll closing time for November 3, 2026, converted to Eastern — the order results actually arrive in. The first polls shut at 7 p.m. ET and the last, in the Aleutians, at 1 a.m. ET Wednesday.
Election Day · November 3, 2026
Quick Answer
- First To Close
- 7 states at 7:00 p.m. ET — Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia
- The Big Wave
- 16 states close together at 8:00 p.m. ET
- Last To Close
- Alaska's Aleutian Islands — 1:00 a.m. ET Wednesday
- Time Zone Split
- 14 states hold polls in two time zones
- Daylight Saving
- Ended November 1 — all times are standard time
Election Night, Hour by Hour
Closings cluster into waves rather than trickling in. All times Eastern.
Poll Closing Times by State
The Eastern column is always the last polls to close in that state, which is the time that matters for following results.
| State | Local Close | Last Close (ET) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlabamaHow to vote → | 7 p.m. CT | 8:00 p.m. ET | Two zonesParts of three eastern counties sit in the Eastern time zone but close on Central time, so the whole state closes together at 8 p.m. ET. |
| AlaskaHow to vote → | 8 p.m. AKST | 1:00 a.m. ETWednesday | Two zonesThe Aleutians observe Hawaii-Aleutian time, so the last Alaska polls close at 1 a.m. ET Wednesday — the final closing in the country. |
| ArizonaHow to vote → | 7 p.m. MST | 9:00 p.m. ET | Arizona does not observe daylight saving, but Election Day falls after the change anyway. |
| ArkansasHow to vote → | 7:30 p.m. CT | 8:30 p.m. ET | |
| CaliforniaHow to vote → | 8 p.m. PT | 11:00 p.m. ET | |
| ColoradoHow to vote → | 7 p.m. MT | 9:00 p.m. ET | Mostly mail |
| ConnecticutHow to vote → | 8 p.m. ET | 8:00 p.m. ET | |
| DelawareHow to vote → | 8 p.m. ET | 8:00 p.m. ET | |
| FloridaHow to vote → | 7 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT | 8:00 p.m. ET | Two zonesThe panhandle votes on Central time, so Florida is not fully closed until 8 p.m. ET — the single most misread closing time in the country. |
| GeorgiaHow to vote → | 7 p.m. ET | 7:00 p.m. ET | |
| HawaiiHow to vote → | 7 p.m. HST | 12:00 a.m. ETWednesday | Mostly mail |
| IdahoHow to vote → | 8 p.m. MT / 8 p.m. PT | 11:00 p.m. ET | Two zonesThe northern panhandle is on Pacific time. |
| IllinoisHow to vote → | 7 p.m. CT | 8:00 p.m. ET | |
| IndianaHow to vote → | 6 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT | 7:00 p.m. ET | Two zonesIndiana closes earlier than any other state — its first polls shut at 6 p.m. ET. |
| IowaHow to vote → | 8 p.m. CT | 9:00 p.m. ET | |
| KansasHow to vote → | Up to 8 p.m. CT | 9:00 p.m. ET | Two zonesCounties choose a closing time between 7 and 8 p.m. Central (6 to 7 p.m. Mountain in the four western counties). |
| KentuckyHow to vote → | 6 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT | 7:00 p.m. ET | Two zonesKentucky and Indiana are the first states to report, with polls shut by 7 p.m. ET. |
| LouisianaHow to vote → | 8 p.m. CT | 9:00 p.m. ET | |
| MaineHow to vote → | 8 p.m. ET | 8:00 p.m. ET | |
| MarylandHow to vote → | 8 p.m. ET | 8:00 p.m. ET | |
| MassachusettsHow to vote → | 8 p.m. ET | 8:00 p.m. ET | |
| MichiganHow to vote → | 8 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT | 9:00 p.m. ET | Two zonesFour Upper Peninsula counties are on Central time, so Michigan is not fully closed until 9 p.m. ET. |
| MinnesotaHow to vote → | 8 p.m. CT | 9:00 p.m. ET | |
| MississippiHow to vote → | 7 p.m. CT | 8:00 p.m. ET | |
| MissouriHow to vote → | 7 p.m. CT | 8:00 p.m. ET | |
| MontanaHow to vote → | 8 p.m. MT | 10:00 p.m. ET | |
| NebraskaHow to vote → | 8 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. MT | 9:00 p.m. ET | Two zonesThe two zones are staggered so the whole state closes at once, 9 p.m. ET. |
| NevadaHow to vote → | 7 p.m. PT | 10:00 p.m. ET | |
| New HampshireHow to vote → | Varies — no earlier than 7 p.m. ET | 7:00 p.m. ET | Each town sets its own hours; state law only fixes the earliest close. |
| New JerseyHow to vote → | 8 p.m. ET | 8:00 p.m. ET | |
| New MexicoHow to vote → | 7 p.m. MT | 9:00 p.m. ET | |
| New YorkHow to vote → | 9 p.m. ET | 9:00 p.m. ET | The latest close of any Eastern-time state. |
| North CarolinaHow to vote → | 7:30 p.m. ET | 7:30 p.m. ET | |
| North DakotaHow to vote → | Between 7 and 9 p.m. local | 11:00 p.m. ET | Two zonesCounties set a close between 7 and 9 p.m., across both Central and Mountain time. |
| OhioHow to vote → | 7:30 p.m. ET | 7:30 p.m. ET | |
| OklahomaHow to vote → | 7 p.m. CT | 8:00 p.m. ET | |
| OregonHow to vote → | 8 p.m. PT | 11:00 p.m. ET | Two zonesMostly mailA small eastern slice is on Mountain time and closes an hour earlier in ET terms. |
| PennsylvaniaHow to vote → | 8 p.m. ET | 8:00 p.m. ET | |
| Rhode IslandHow to vote → | 8 p.m. ET | 8:00 p.m. ET | |
| South CarolinaHow to vote → | 7 p.m. ET | 7:00 p.m. ET | |
| South DakotaHow to vote → | 7 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. MT | 9:00 p.m. ET | Two zones |
| TennesseeHow to vote → | 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT | 8:00 p.m. ET | Two zonesTennessee staggers its two zones so the state closes together at 8 p.m. ET. |
| TexasHow to vote → | 7 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. MT | 9:00 p.m. ET | Two zonesEl Paso and Hudspeth counties are on Mountain time, so Texas is not fully closed until 9 p.m. ET. |
| UtahHow to vote → | 8 p.m. MT | 10:00 p.m. ET | Mostly mail |
| VermontHow to vote → | 7 p.m. ET | 7:00 p.m. ET | Mostly mail |
| VirginiaHow to vote → | 7 p.m. ET | 7:00 p.m. ET | |
| WashingtonHow to vote → | 8 p.m. PT | 11:00 p.m. ET | Mostly mail |
| West VirginiaHow to vote → | 7:30 p.m. ET | 7:30 p.m. ET | |
| WisconsinHow to vote → | 8 p.m. CT | 9:00 p.m. ET | |
| WyomingHow to vote → | 7 p.m. MT | 9:00 p.m. ET | |
| District of ColumbiaHow to vote → | 8 p.m. ET | 8:00 p.m. ET | |
Local close 7 p.m. CT · two time zones
Local close 8 p.m. AKST · two time zones
Local close 7 p.m. MST
Local close 7:30 p.m. CT
Local close 8 p.m. PT
Local close 7 p.m. MT · mostly mail
Local close 8 p.m. ET
Local close 8 p.m. ET
Local close 7 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT · two time zones
Local close 7 p.m. ET
Local close 7 p.m. HST · mostly mail
Local close 8 p.m. MT / 8 p.m. PT · two time zones
Local close 7 p.m. CT
Local close 6 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT · two time zones
Local close 8 p.m. CT
Local close Up to 8 p.m. CT · two time zones
Local close 6 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT · two time zones
Local close 8 p.m. CT
Local close 8 p.m. ET
Local close 8 p.m. ET
Local close 8 p.m. ET
Local close 8 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT · two time zones
Local close 8 p.m. CT
Local close 7 p.m. CT
Local close 7 p.m. CT
Local close 8 p.m. MT
Local close 8 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. MT · two time zones
Local close 7 p.m. PT
Local close Varies — no earlier than 7 p.m. ET
Local close 8 p.m. ET
Local close 7 p.m. MT
Local close 9 p.m. ET
Local close 7:30 p.m. ET
Local close Between 7 and 9 p.m. local · two time zones
Local close 7:30 p.m. ET
Local close 7 p.m. CT
Local close 8 p.m. PT · two time zones · mostly mail
Local close 8 p.m. ET
Local close 8 p.m. ET
Local close 7 p.m. ET
Local close 7 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. MT · two time zones
Local close 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT · two time zones
Local close 7 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. MT · two time zones
Local close 8 p.m. MT · mostly mail
Local close 7 p.m. ET · mostly mail
Local close 7 p.m. ET
Local close 8 p.m. PT · mostly mail
Local close 7:30 p.m. ET
Local close 8 p.m. CT
Local close 7 p.m. MT
Local close 8 p.m. ET
The 14 States That Close Twice
14 states hold polls in two time zones, and this is where closing times are most often reported wrong. Florida is the classic case: most of the state votes on Eastern time and closes at 7 p.m., but the panhandle is on Central time, so Florida is not fully closed until 8 p.m. ET.
Some states stagger their local hours so the two halves close simultaneously in Eastern terms — Nebraska (8 p.m. Central, 7 p.m. Mountain) and Tennessee (8 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Central) both shut statewide at 9 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET respectively. Others do not: Michigan, Texas, South Dakota and Kansas all have a second wave an hour after the first.
- Alabama — 7 p.m. CT, fully closed 8:00 p.m. ET
- Alaska — 8 p.m. AKST, fully closed 1:00 a.m. ET
- Florida — 7 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT, fully closed 8:00 p.m. ET
- Idaho — 8 p.m. MT / 8 p.m. PT, fully closed 11:00 p.m. ET
- Indiana — 6 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT, fully closed 7:00 p.m. ET
- Kansas — Up to 8 p.m. CT, fully closed 9:00 p.m. ET
- Kentucky — 6 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT, fully closed 7:00 p.m. ET
- Michigan — 8 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT, fully closed 9:00 p.m. ET
- Nebraska — 8 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. MT, fully closed 9:00 p.m. ET
- North Dakota — Between 7 and 9 p.m. local, fully closed 11:00 p.m. ET
- Oregon — 8 p.m. PT, fully closed 11:00 p.m. ET
- South Dakota — 7 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. MT, fully closed 9:00 p.m. ET
- Tennessee — 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. CT, fully closed 8:00 p.m. ET
- Texas — 7 p.m. CT / 7 p.m. MT, fully closed 9:00 p.m. ET
Live on Congress Countdown
Follow the balance of power as results come in
The Senate map, what each party needs for a majority, and every race called — with the desk that called it.
Before Election Day
If you are not voting on November 3 itself, two earlier deadlines matter more than closing time: your state's registration deadline (most fall between October 4 and 27) and when early voting opens.
Frequently Asked Questions
What time do polls close on Election Day 2026?
It varies by state, from 7 p.m. Eastern to 1 a.m. Eastern the following morning. The first 7 states close at 7 p.m. ET; the largest group, 16 states, closes at 8:00 p.m. ET. The last polls in the country close in Alaska's Aleutian Islands at 1 a.m. ET Wednesday.
Which states close their polls first?
Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia all close at 7 p.m. ET. Indiana and Kentucky actually shut their first precincts at 6 p.m. local time, but both states straddle two time zones, so neither is fully closed until 7 p.m. ET.
Why does Florida close at 8 p.m. Eastern and not 7?
Most of Florida is on Eastern time and closes at 7 p.m., but the panhandle is on Central time and closes an hour later in Eastern terms. The state is not fully closed until 8 p.m. ET. Thirteen other states are split across two time zones the same way.
Does daylight saving time affect poll closing times in 2026?
Daylight saving ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026 — two days before Election Day — so every state is on standard time when polls close. Eastern is UTC-5 that night, not UTC-4. A conversion done earlier in the fall with daylight offsets would be an hour wrong.
When will we know who controls Congress?
Usually not on election night. In 2022 the Senate was not settled until the Saturday after Election Day and the House not until the following Wednesday. Close races in slow-counting states, plus any runoff, can push it further.