When Do Polls Close for Midterm 2026 Elections? When to Expect Results
It’s Election Day in the USA, and that means so many people are heading to the polls.
Americans voting in the 2026 midterm elections will see polls close at different times across the country today. We have some of the available info you may need. There’s local elections on the ballot, as well as larger scale elections like governors and senators.
What time do polls close on Election Day 2026?
The first polling locations will close at 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday! Other states will follow in waves, with the final polling locations in Alaska scheduled to suspend voting after midnight.
Here is a breakdown of the scheduled poll-closing times, via CBS News.
7 p.m. ET: Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia.
7:30 p.m. ET: North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia.
8 p.m. ET: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island.
8:30 p.m. ET: Arkansas.
9 p.m. ET: Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas (polls in most of the state close an hour earlier), Wisconsin, Wyoming.
10 p.m. ET: Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Utah.
11 p.m. ET: California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington.
12 a.m. ET: Hawaii.
1 a.m. ET: Alaska.
When will the election results come in?
The earliest results could be expected this evening, as polling spots begin to close. Additional results will be reported as election offices process and count all available ballots.
News organizations, such as the AP, use available election returns and other verified info before calling a race. Some races with substantial margins may be projected as early as this evening! However, there may be delays, particularly in elections with tighter margins that require additional counting or recounts before a winner can be projected.
The 2026 election results guide published by Votebeat stated that variations in state election laws, ballot-counting procedures and available resources can impact reporting times.
Stay tuned to major news sites like the Associated Press for the latest in election coverage.
Posted To:2026 Election Day 2026 Midterm Elections Election Day Politics
