2026 Midterm Election Night Guide: Polls Close From 6 p.m. Eastern, but Some Results May Take Days
6 p.m. to 7 p.m.: Indiana and Kentucky close first
The AP guide says most polling places in Indiana and Kentucky close at 6 p.m. Eastern. Statewide winners in those states will not be declared until the final polling locations close. At 7 p.m., all polls close in states including Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. The AP notes that those states generally completed most of their vote counting on election night in 2024.
The New York Times' election-night guide also warns that results will be updated gradually after polls close. States have different rules for processing mail ballots, different local procedures and different timelines for reporting. The time at which one state reports results cannot be used to predict when the entire country will be counted.
7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.: More Midwest and Southern states close
Ohio's polls close at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. At 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., additional states in the Midwest, South and East close their polling places, and counting begins in a range of Senate, House and gubernatorial contests. The AP highlighted Senate races in Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida, Maine, Iowa, Michigan and Texas among the contests to watch.
Arizona's polls close at 9 p.m. Eastern, but its results page may not begin releasing results until 10 p.m. The pace of counting depends on how local election officials process in-person ballots, mail ballots and provisional ballots.
10 p.m. to midnight: Western states close later
At 10 p.m. Eastern, polling places in parts of the Mountain and Western time zones close. California and Washington close at 11 p.m. Eastern. Because both states rely heavily on mail voting, substantial shares of ballots remained uncounted on election night in 2024, with counting continuing for days. Most polling places in Hawaii and Alaska close around midnight Eastern, while the last Alaska polls close at 1 a.m.
That means television networks and websites in the eastern United States may be reporting early results while voters are still casting ballots in the West or while large numbers of ballots remain to be processed. Projections must account for the outstanding vote and differences in how voters cast their ballots in each region.
Election-night results and official certification are different stages
The AP emphasizes that election-night totals are preliminary counts and media projections, not final certification. Local election officials still need to process provisional ballots, mail ballots, overseas ballots and military ballots, and complete reconciliation and certification procedures. The U.S. Election Assistance Commission also notes that preliminary results can change as additional eligible ballots are counted.
For that reason, the most useful things to follow on election night are poll-closing times, the pace of counting in key districts and the number of outstanding ballots — not treating an early lead as a final victory. In close contests or states with substantial mail voting, the outcome may not become clear until days later.
