Get you up to speed: Here’s when polls close for 2026 midterm elections across the U.S. tonight
Millions of Americans are voting in person in the 2026 midterm elections on Tuesday, November 3. Polling times vary by state, with the first polls closing at 6 p.m. ET in parts of Indiana and Kentucky.
Polling in the 2026 midterm election is taking place on November 3, with states beginning to report results after polls close. Nearly 57 million voters participated in early voting prior to Election Day, indicating a strong turnout ahead of the polls closing at staggered times across various states.
As millions of Americans participate in the 2026 midterm elections, the ACLU has reiterated voters’ rights, emphasising that anyone in line before polls close has the right to cast their ballot. Election results will start to be reported following the closure of polls in each state, with the first results anticipated shortly after 6 p.m. ET.
What remains unclear — It is unknown how long it will take for all election results to be reported after polls close.
Poll closing times for the 2026 midterm elections across the U.S.
Millions of Americans are casting their votes in person in the 2026 midterm election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Polling times vary by state. States will begin reporting election results after their polls close.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia offer early voting options, with the exception of Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire. Eight states and Washington, D.C., automatically send a mail-in ballot to every registered voter, although voters generally can still choose to vote in person. Over 57 million voters have already cast their ballots early this year.
If you are in line to cast your ballot before a site closes, you have the right to remain in line and vote. View a list of voter rights from the ACLU here.
What time do the first polls close on Election Day 2026?
The first polls close at 6 p.m. ET in the eastern parts of Indiana and Kentucky. Then at 7 p.m., polls close in Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia, the rest of Indiana, Kentucky and most of Florida. Then North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia follow at 7:30 p.m.
Poll closing times vary by state. Here is a breakdown by hour of when polls are closing across the country:
When do polls close across the U.S. for the 2026 midterm elections?
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
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
1 a.m. ET
- Alaska (polls in most of the state close an hour earlier)
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