What Time Do Polls Close on Election Day 2026? Every State's Closing Time in Eastern Time

Polls close on Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026 between 6 p.m. and 1 a.m. Eastern Time, depending on the state. Most of Indiana and Kentucky close first, at 6 p.m. Eastern, and the Aleutian Islands of Alaska close last. Because clocks fall back on Sunday, Nov. 1, the whole country is on standard time on Election Day.

Poll closing times in Eastern Time

Eastern Time	States (most polling places)
6 p.m.	Indiana, Kentucky
7 p.m.	Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia
7-8 p.m.	New Hampshire (towns set hours)
7:30 p.m.	North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia
8 p.m.	Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas
8:30 p.m.	Arkansas
8-10 p.m.	North Dakota (closing depends on the precinct)
9 p.m.	Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin, Wyoming
10 p.m.	Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah
11 p.m.	California, Oregon, Washington
Midnight	Alaska, Hawaii

The times above are the closing time for most of each state. In local time, the most common closing times are 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.

States split across time zones

Several states close at the same local time in two time zones, so their last polls close an hour later in Eastern Time:

• Florida: 7 p.m. local. The western Panhandle, on Central Time, closes at 8 p.m. Eastern.
• Indiana and Kentucky: 6 p.m. local. Central Time counties close at 7 p.m. Eastern.
• Michigan: 8 p.m. local. Four Upper Peninsula counties on Central Time close at 9 p.m. Eastern.
• Texas: 7 p.m. local. El Paso and Hudspeth counties, on Mountain Time, close at 9 p.m. Eastern.
• Kansas, South Dakota and Nebraska: western counties on Mountain Time close an hour later in Eastern Time. In Nebraska both halves close at 9 p.m. Eastern.
• Idaho: 8 p.m. local. The northern counties on Pacific Time close at 11 p.m. Eastern.
• Alaska: 8 p.m. local, midnight Eastern; the Aleutian Islands close at 1 a.m. Eastern.

Kansas law lets counties keep polls open until 8 p.m. local, and New Hampshire, Tennessee, Vermont, Maine and North Dakota leave some hours to towns or counties. Check your county election office for the exact time at your polling place.

The in-line rule

If you are in line when the polls close, stay in line. Every state lets voters who are waiting at closing time cast a ballot. Louisiana’s election code, for example, sets polling hours of 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and says anyone in line at 8 p.m. may vote.

What closing time means in all-mail states

In Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Hawaii and California, every voter is mailed a ballot. There, the closing time is when vote centers and ballot drop boxes close. California, Nevada, Washington and Oregon also count mailed ballots postmarked by Election Day that arrive afterward; see our mail ballot deadlines by state.

When results come in

Closing times shape election night. The first results usually appear within an hour of a state’s last polls closing. States that count mail ballots before Election Day, such as Florida, tend to report a large share quickly. Pennsylvania cannot begin processing mail ballots until 7 a.m. on Election Day, so its count takes longer, and California counties have up to 30 days to finish their canvass. Our 2026 midterm guide has a printable tracker with every Senate and governor’s race next to its closing time.

Before you go

Find your polling place and see your exact ballot before Election Day; our guide to finding your sample ballot by ZIP code explains how. Election Day is not a federal holiday, but some states give workers time off to vote and 11 make it a state holiday; see what’s open and closed on Election Day. Remember that clocks fall back on Nov. 1, two days earlier.

Mark the day on our November 2026 printable calendar or a weekly planner, and print the one-page closing-time chart below.