Poll closing times and when results come in, state by state

Voters across the country are casting the last ballots of the 2026 midterm elections today, Tuesday, Nov. 3. More than 57 million people had voted before Election Day as of Monday, according to The Associated Press. As of this writing, no race has been called.

Two things decide when results appear: when a state's polls close, and how that state counts its ballots. This guide covers both. Closing times come from the AP's state-by-state "Decision Notes" guides and, where noted, from state election offices. Counting speeds refer to the 2024 general election, the most recent national comparison the AP gives. Last cycle's pace is a guide, not a promise.

When do polls close in each time zone?

All times below are Eastern. Several states span two time zones, so their polls close at two different times. Voters still in line at closing time can generally still vote. In Nevada, for example, state law keeps polls open until everyone in line has voted, the AP notes.

6 p.m.: The Eastern-time parts of Indiana and Kentucky, where polls close at 6 p.m. local time.

7 p.m.: Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia; most of Florida; the Central-time parts of Indiana and Kentucky; and some New Hampshire towns. New Hampshire towns close at 7, 7:30 or 8 p.m., depending on the town.

7:30 p.m.: North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia. North Carolina's hours are 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to the State Board of Elections.

8 p.m.: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. Also the Florida Panhandle's Central-time counties, most of Michigan, Texas and Kansas, and the Central-time parts of North Dakota and South Dakota. Tennessee spans two time zones but coordinates all of its polls to close at 8 p.m. Eastern. Pennsylvania polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to the state.

8:30 p.m.: Arkansas.

9 p.m.: Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Also the Mountain-time parts of Texas, Kansas, North Dakota and South Dakota, and the Michigan Upper Peninsula counties on Central time.

10 p.m.: Montana, Nevada and Utah, most of Idaho, and the Mountain-time part of Oregon.

11 p.m.: California and Washington, most of Oregon, and the Pacific-time part of Idaho.

Midnight: Hawaii and almost all of Alaska.

1 a.m. Wednesday: One polling location in Alaska's Aleutian Islands.

Some states hold back results even after their first polls close. In Arizona, no results are released before 10 p.m. Eastern, an hour after polls close, or until all precincts report, whichever comes first. South Dakota law bars releasing results until its last polls close at 9 p.m. Eastern. In Michigan, the AP says it will not call statewide races before the Upper Peninsula's last polls close at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Which states usually count fast?

The quickest states tend to process early and mail ballots before Election Day and post them in the first update after polls close. In 2024, the AP reported:

Florida: About 99% of the vote was counted by 10:51 p.m. Eastern. Florida counties release nearly all early and mail results first, the AP says.

Kentucky: 90% of the vote was in by 9:30 p.m.

Tennessee: 90% by 10:14 p.m.

Oklahoma: 90% by 10:18 p.m.

Georgia: 90% by 10:21 p.m. About four of every five Georgia counties release almost all early and mail results first, per the AP.

Ohio: 90% by 11:03 p.m. All 88 Ohio counties tend to release nearly all early and absentee results first.

North Carolina: 90% by 11:36 p.m.

Texas: Half the vote was in by 8:29 p.m. Eastern and 90% by 12:17 a.m. Wednesday. More than 6.3 million Texans had voted early as of Oct. 28, a 50% rise over the same point in 2022, the AP reported.

Rules that allow early processing help explain the speed. In Indiana, absentee ballots may be processed as they arrive and counting may start before polls close, the AP says. Michigan law lets cities and townships with at least 5,000 people process absentee ballots on any of the eight days before Election Day, but bars any results before 8 p.m. on Election Day, according to Michigan Compiled Laws section 168.765a. In Arizona, processing and tabulating early ballots may begin as soon as the envelope has been processed, under Arizona Revised Statutes 16-550.

Which states usually count slowly, and why?

States that vote mostly by mail, or that accept ballots after Election Day, often take longer. In 2024, according to the AP:

Arizona: The last update on election night came at 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, with about 66% of votes counted. Mail ballots dropped off on Election Day take much longer, because workers do not begin processing them until after polls close. In Maricopa County, about 20% of nearly 1.6 million votes in the 2022 midterms were mail ballots dropped off on Election Day.

California: The last overnight update came at 4:24 a.m., with about 62% counted. About 90% of the state's 2022 vote for governor was cast early or by mail.

Nevada: First results came about three hours after polls closed, and 90% was reached at 8:26 p.m. the next day.

Washington: The state, which votes almost entirely by mail, reached 90% four days after the election. Oregon reached 90% on Nov. 8 and Utah on Nov. 12.

Alaska: About 75% of votes were counted by the last overnight update. The bulk of mail results is typically released in the days after election night.

Maryland: The count reached 90% on Nov. 11, six days after Election Day.

Maine: 90% was reached at 3:13 p.m. the day after the election. Maine may process mail ballots before Election Day, but tabulation cannot begin until polls close.

Deadlines for receiving mail ballots also matter. On June 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a lower-court ruling in Watson v. Republican National Committee. As a result, states may count ballots cast by Election Day that arrive afterward, as the California attorney general and Alaska's Division of Elections have explained. Rules differ by state:

Ohio: Absentee ballots must now reach the county board by the close of polls, under a section of the Ohio Revised Code that took effect March 20, 2026. Ballots from military and overseas voters fall under a separate section.

Pennsylvania: Mail ballots must be received by 8 p.m. on Election Day, according to the state.

The Postal Service is also a factor this year. Election officials have advised voters with late absentee ballots to use drop boxes or return them in person, the AP reported, because of concerns that changes in Postal Service operations could delay postmarks. During this year's primaries, late-arriving ballots or late postmarks kept tens of thousands of votes from counting in California, Oregon and Washington.

How do provisional ballots and signature fixes affect timing?

A provisional ballot is a safety net for a voter whose name is missing from the registration list or whose eligibility is challenged. The right to one comes from Section 302 of the Help America Vote Act, according to the EAC. Officials must confirm a voter's eligibility before a provisional ballot can be counted, and that takes time:

Georgia: A provisional ballot counts if the voter's eligibility is confirmed within three days after Election Day, according to the secretary of state.

Pennsylvania: County boards decide within seven days after the election, according to the state.

Mail ballots with signature problems can also be added after Election Day. In Arizona, a voter whose signature does not match has until the fifth business day after an election with a federal race to fix it. A missing signature must be added by 7 p.m. on Election Day, under state law.

Why can early leads shift?

Each state counts and releases different kinds of ballots at different times, so the first numbers of the night may not resemble the final count. In much of the country, early and mail votes come out first. Texas, Ohio, Florida, Delaware and New Jersey are among the states where nearly all early and mail results usually arrive before any in-person Election Day votes, the AP says.

Other states mix all types of ballots together. Rhode Island usually releases early and Election Day in-person votes before any mail results. In Michigan, the AP notes that six large counties, Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Kent, Genesee and Washtenaw, tend to release relatively few results in their first updates.

In California, the AP says, mail voting has tended to favor Democrats and in-person Election Day voting Republicans. Because mail results come out first there, an early Democratic lead could narrow as Election Day votes are counted. In Arizona, ballots dropped off on Election Day are counted last.

The EAC says unofficial results keep being updated until every ballot is counted, and that even "100% precincts reporting" does not mean the count is final. The official canvass includes mail, military and overseas, early, Election Day and provisional ballots.

Close margins can add more time. Automatic recounts are triggered at a margin of 0.5% or less in Arizona, Pennsylvania and Alabama, at 0.25% or less in statewide races in Ohio, and at 0.1% or less in statewide races in Michigan, according to the AP. The AP may still declare a winner in a race eligible for a recount if the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome. In 2022, the AP called the Arizona governor's race six days after Election Day.

How can you follow the count tonight?

For official tallies, go to your state or county election office. "Only election officials provide official election results," the EAC says. For race calls, the AP will declare winners only when the outcome is clear. If a race has not been called, the AP says it will report developments such as concessions and explain why it has not made a call. Election night numbers are a snapshot, and the share of votes still uncounted matters as much as who is ahead.

For more on the night's stakes, read NewsCubby's election eve guide to Senate races and poll closing times and its overview of how control of Congress is on the line. For a race-by-race overview, see NewsCubby's Election Day 2026 live guide.

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*ARCHIVE PHOTO: "I Voted" stickers at a polling place in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Nov. 4, 2025. Not Election Day 2026. Photo: Funknendai / Wikimedia Commons / public domain (CC0).*

*NewsCubby articles are produced with AI assistance and reviewed by humans.*