What Time Do Polls Close in the 2026 Midterms?

UNITED STATES · MIDTERMS 2026 · RESULTS NIGHT GUIDE

Polls close in waves from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern Time on 3 November, and this guide lists every closing time and explains when the results are likely to be known.

Polls in the 2026 US midterm elections close between 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday 3 November and 1 a.m. on Wednesday 4 November, starting in Indiana and Kentucky and ending in Alaska. Because the 50 states span six time zones and each state sets its own voting hours, results arrive in waves through the night.

Some races will be called within minutes of the polls closing, while close contests in states that count mail ballots for days may not be settled for a week or more. In 2022 the House majority was called only on 16 November, eight days after the vote.

Poll Closing Times State by State

The list below follows the 2026 general election table of 270toWin, an election data site, in Eastern Time, with London and Lisbon time in brackets. Some states span two time zones, so their polls close in two steps, and individual polling places may close earlier.

• 6 p.m. ET (11 p.m. London): the eastern parts of Indiana and Kentucky.
• 7 p.m. ET (midnight): Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, most of Florida and the rest of Indiana and Kentucky.
• 7:30 p.m. ET (12:30 a.m.): North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.
• 8 p.m. ET (1 a.m.): Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington, DC, plus most of Kansas, Michigan and Texas, the Florida Panhandle and the central-time parts of North and South Dakota.
• 8:30 p.m. ET (1:30 a.m.): Arkansas.
• 9 p.m. ET (2 a.m.): Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin and Wyoming, plus the remaining parts of Kansas, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas.
• 10 p.m. ET (3 a.m.): Montana, Nevada and Utah, plus most of Idaho and eastern Oregon.
• 11 p.m. ET (4 a.m.): California and Washington state, plus most of Oregon and northern Idaho.
• Midnight ET (5 a.m.): Hawaii and most of Alaska.
• 1 a.m. ET on 4 November (6 a.m.): the Aleutian Islands of Alaska.

What to Watch as the Night Goes On

The early closings in the east carry two of the Senate races that decide the night: Georgia at 7 p.m., where Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff faces Republican Mike Collins, and Ohio at 7:30 p.m., where Republican Senator Jon Husted faces former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. North Carolina, also at 7:30 p.m., has an open seat contested by Democrat Roy Cooper and Republican Michael Whatley.

At 8 p.m. the polls close in Maine, where Republican Senator Susan Collins faces Democrat Troy Jackson, and in most of Michigan and Texas, two more Senate battlegrounds. Iowa follows at 9 p.m., and Alaska, where Republican Senator Dan Sullivan faces Democrat Mary Peltola, closes last.

The House is harder to follow hour by hour, because the closest of its 435 races are spread across the country. Some of them sit in California, which closes at 11 p.m. ET and counts slowly, so the overall picture often firms up only after midnight in the east.

A race called on election night is a media call. The official result comes only when the state certifies it.

When Will the Results Be Known?

Control of the House was clear on election night in 2018, when Democrats won it, but in 2022 the Associated Press, the news agency whose calls most US media follow, called the Republican majority only on 16 November. The difference was the number of close races left in states that count for days.

California counts mail ballots that are postmarked by election day and arrive up to seven days later, according to the California Secretary of State. Nevada accepts mail ballots postmarked by election day that arrive within four days, a practice the US Supreme Court left in place in a ruling reported on 29 June.

Alaska is slower still, because many of its high-profile races wait for the ranked-choice tabulation on 18 November, Alaska Public Media reports. Maine also uses ranked choices for federal races, which can add days if no candidate wins a majority in the first count.

Runoffs, Recounts and the Final Result

Georgia holds a runoff on Tuesday 1 December for any race where no candidate wins more than half the vote, and Louisiana holds runoffs on Saturday 12 December for House races without a majority winner. Close results anywhere can also trigger recounts under each state’s own rules.

States certify their results over the following weeks, and the new Congress begins its term at noon on Sunday 3 January 2027. Until then the current Republican majorities stay in charge, including during the funding deadline on 11 December.

Times for Viewers in Latin America, Africa and Europe

For readers outside the United States, the main waves fall late in the evening in Latin America and overnight in Europe and Africa. The list converts three key moments: 7 p.m. ET, when the first full states close, 8 p.m. ET, the biggest wave, and 11 p.m. ET, when California closes.

• Mexico City: 6 p.m., 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Tuesday.
• Bogotá and Lima: 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Tuesday.
• São Paulo and Buenos Aires: 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Tuesday, then 1 a.m. on Wednesday.
• London and Lisbon: midnight, 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Wednesday.
• Lagos: 1 a.m., 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. on Wednesday.
• Johannesburg: 2 a.m., 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Wednesday; Nairobi: 3 a.m., 4 a.m. and 7 a.m.

What Prediction Markets Say

Traders on Polymarket and on Kalshi, a platform regulated in the US by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), bet on which party will control each chamber. The card below shows their latest prices, which can move sharply as results come in on election night.

What It Means for You

If you trade or invest, note that the Tokyo stock market opens at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, as the first full states close, so Asian markets trade on partial results. A clear result by midnight ET is possible, but a House or Senate majority that hangs on California, Alaska or a Georgia runoff could keep traders guessing for days.

For what is at stake and why it matters for Latin America and Africa, read our guide to the 2026 US midterm elections. Live prices for House and Senate control are in our midterm odds analysis and the US midterms 2026 dossier.

What Is Not Known

Nobody knows how many races will be close enough to delay a call, because that depends on the size of the national swing. A wide margin could settle both chambers on election night, while a narrow one could leave the Senate open until the Georgia runoff or the Alaska tally.

It is also not known how many voters will return mail ballots late, which drives the length of the count in the West. Election officials in each state publish their own updates, and those, not the media calls, are the official record.

Frequently Asked Questions

What time do the polls close on 3 November 2026?

The first polls close at 6 p.m. Eastern Time in eastern Indiana and Kentucky, and the last at 1 a.m. ET on 4 November in Alaska’s Aleutian Islands. Most states close between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. ET.

When will we know who won the House?

It can be clear on election night, as in 2018, or take days if many races are close. In 2022 the Associated Press called the House majority on 16 November, eight days after the vote.

Which states count their votes slowly?

California accepts mail ballots arriving up to seven days after election day and Nevada up to four, if postmarked in time. Alaska tabulates its ranked-choice votes on 18 November.

What time is it in London when US polls close?

London and Lisbon are five hours ahead of Eastern Time on election night, so the 7 p.m. ET closings come at midnight. California closes at 4 a.m. and the last Alaska polls at 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

When does the new Congress take office?

The new Congress begins its term at noon on Sunday 3 January 2027. Until then the current Congress, with its Republican majorities, stays in charge.

Sources: 270toWin, 2026 poll closing times; 15 U.S.C. 260a (daylight saving time); 20th Amendment; Georgia.gov, 2026 election dates; The Green Papers, Louisiana 2026; California Secretary of State, vote-by-mail FAQ; KUNR, Nevada mail ballots (29 June 2026); Alaska Public Media, 19 October 2026; CBS News, House projection (6 November 2018); California Secretary of State, vote by mail; Associated Press via News4Jax, House call of 16 November 2022; Polymarket and Kalshi public market data.

Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error