Election night 2026: When polls close and when to expect results


People cast their ballots at a polling location open for early voting at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, in Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

WASHINGTON (AP) — With voters deciding hundreds of races throughout the nation, protecting monitor of which races to observe all through the night time and when to anticipate outcomes can get difficult. The primary polls to shut Tuesday will likely be at 6 p.m. Jap Commonplace Time in most of Indiana and Kentucky. The 8 p.m. hour is primetime on election night time, with polls absolutely or partially closing in virtually half the states. Election night time’s different large logjam is at 9 p.m., with all polls closing in 15 states, together with some midterm battlegrounds. Polls shut in Hawaii and virtually all of Alaska at midnight. The ultimate polls of the 2026 midterms shut at 1 a.m. in Alaska’s westernmost polling location.

WASHINGTON (AP) — With voters deciding thousands of races across the country on Tuesday, protecting monitor of which races to observe all through the night time — and when to anticipate results — can get difficult.

Right here’s a rundown of the largest races hour by hour, together with some clues as to how lengthy it’s going to take to count the votes.

All instances are in Jap Commonplace Time.

6 p.m.

The primary polls of the night time will shut in most of Indiana and Kentucky, however no statewide winners will likely be declared in both state till the final polls shut at 7 p.m. It’s doable to see winners declared within the states’ easternmost congressional districts.

Key contests on this hour embrace aggressive U.S. Home races in Indiana’s 5th and Kentucky’s 6th congressional districts.

7 p.m. and seven:30 p.m.

All polls shut at 7 p.m. in six states, together with Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia, which have a tendency to finish virtually all of their vote relying on election night time. Within the 2024 basic election, the vote rely in all three states reached the midway mark within the 8 p.m. hour. The counts had been 90% full at 10:21 p.m. in Georgia, 11:14 p.m. in South Carolina and 12:07 a.m. in Virginia. In Georgia’s aggressive presidential contest, The Related Press declared Republican Donald Trump the winner at 12:58 a.m.

Most Florida polls can even shut at 7 p.m., together with in each aggressive congressional district, however no statewide winners will likely be declared till polls within the Central Time Zone shut at 8 p.m.

Polls in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia shut at 7:30 p.m. All three states additionally rely votes comparatively rapidly, reaching the midway level at round 9 p.m. in 2024 and about 90% within the 11 p.m. hour. The AP declared a winner in Ohio’s aggressive 2024 U.S. Senate race at 11:27 p.m.

Some key contests to observe on this hour are U.S. Senate races in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Ohio; gubernatorial races in Georgia and Ohio; and U.S. Home races in Florida, Indiana, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina.

8 p.m. and eight:30 p.m.

The 8 p.m. hour is primetime on election night time, with polls absolutely or partially closing in virtually half the states, together with key states like Florida, Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.

Florida tends to have one of many sooner counts on this time slot, since ends in many of the state begin releasing within the 7 p.m. hour. In 2024, the Florida vote rely was 90% full by 8:07 p.m.

The 2024 vote counts in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania reached the midway mark at 10:12 p.m. They reached 90% at 12:48 a.m. in Pennsylvania and 1:42 a.m. in New Hampshire.

Maine didn’t attain the midway mark in 2024 till 12:54 a.m.

Polls in virtually all of Michigan and Texas shut at 8 p.m., together with within the states’ best congressional districts, however no statewide winners will likely be declared till the ultimate polls have closed at 9 p.m.

Polls shut at 8:30 p.m. in Arkansas.

Some key contests to observe on this hour are U.S. Senate races in Florida, Maine and New Hampshire; gubernatorial races in Florida and Pennsylvania; and U.S. Home races in Alabama, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas.

9 p.m.

That is election night time’s different large logjam, with all polls closing in 15 states, together with the midterm battlegrounds of Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Texas and Wisconsin.

The 2024 basic election vote counts in Iowa, Nebraska, New York and Wisconsin all reached the midway mark roughly within the 10 p.m. hour, whereas Minnesota reached 50% of all votes counted at 11:29 p.m. Iowa and New York accomplished 90% of the rely simply earlier than midnight, whereas Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin reached 90% early the subsequent day between 2 and three:30 a.m.

Kansas, Michigan and Texas all start releasing votes within the 8 p.m. hour, however Michigan trailed the opposite two within the 2024 vote rely. Kansas and Texas reached 90% counted throughout the midnight hour, whereas Michigan didn’t attain that threshold till 4:50 a.m.

Though polls shut in Arizona at 9 p.m., the state doesn’t start releasing outcomes till 10 p.m.

Some key contests to observe on this hour are U.S. Senate races in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska and Texas; gubernatorial races in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Texas and Wisconsin; and U.S. Home races in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York and Wisconsin.

10 p.m.

Polls shut at 10 p.m. in Montana, Nevada and Utah, with some polls closing within the japanese parts of Idaho and Oregon.

Key contests to observe on this hour embrace U.S. Home races in Montana, Nevada and Utah and congressional and gubernatorial races in Arizona, the place polls shut at 9 p.m. however outcomes are held till 10 p.m.

11 p.m.

All polls shut at 11 p.m. in California and Washington, in addition to the remaining polls in Idaho and Oregon.

Elections in California and Washington are performed primarily by mail. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day will likely be counted if obtained by Nov. 10 in California and Nov. 23 in Washington.

Within the 2024 basic election, about 38% of the vote in California and about 33% of the vote in Washington was not counted on election night time. The rely reached 90% in Washington by Nov. 9, 4 days after Election Day, and in California by Nov. 14, 9 days after Election Day.

Some key contests to observe on this hour are California governor, California’s Proposition 40 and U.S. Home races in California and Washington.

Midnight and 1 a.m.

Polls shut in Hawaii and virtually all of Alaska at midnight. The ultimate polls of the 2026 midterms shut at 1 a.m. within the Aleutian Islands, dwelling of Alaska’s westernmost polling location.

In Alaska in 2024, about 25% of the whole vote was not counted on election night time. The majority of the state’s mail voting outcomes aren’t anticipated earlier than Nov. 18, the deadline to obtain abroad and army ballots. Mail and early in-person ballots comprised about 35% of the whole vote in 2022 and about 45% in 2024.

Key contests to observe embrace the Senate and Home races in Alaska.

The submit Election night time 2026: When polls shut and when to anticipate outcomes appeared first on The Haitian Instances.



Source link

Scroll to Top