When do the polls close?
Follow selected state poll-closing milestones in your own time zone. These are scheduled closures, not when winners are announced. Use your state election office for the exact closing time at your polling place.
November 3, 2026
Preparing countdown…
The United States returns to standard time on November 1. Selected waves are converted from a fixed UTC timestamp for election night, avoiding seasonal time-zone errors.
Poll-closing timeline
Selected milestones. States with multiple time zones may appear more than once in a complete statewide schedule.
This is not an exhaustive 50-state election-hours directory. Polls may be kept open longer in specific jurisdictions by lawful order. If you are in line when polls close, follow your state's official instructions.
How to use the timeline
Poll closing
A scheduled time when in-person voting normally ends. It is not necessarily the time counting begins or the time results become public.
Early result batches
Counties report on different schedules. Some publish partial early-vote counts first; others report Election Day returns first.
Calls and certification
Media outlets may project winners before state election authorities certify outcomes. Never label a forecast or a projection as an official result.
Hours reference: NCSL polling place hours and statutory citations. See also Ballotpedia’s 2026 state-hours guide.