State-by-State Guide to Poll Opening and Closing Times for the 2026 Midterm Elections
Millions of Americans are heading to polling locations across the country on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to cast their votes in person for the 2026 midterm elections. Because voting hours are established at the state level rather than federally, polling schedules vary widely depending on the jurisdiction, dictating when results can begin rolling in.
Ahead of Election Day, millions of participants took advantage of alternative voting methods. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia offered early voting options, leaving Alabama, Mississippi, and New Hampshire as the only states without early in-person voting. Additionally, eight states and Washington, D.C., automatically distributed mail-in ballots to every registered voter, though eligible citizens retained the option to cast their ballots in person. Official tracking indicates that more than 57 million voters had already cast ballots prior to Election Day.
For those voting in person on Tuesday, federal and local guidelines protect participation rights. Any voter who is physically standing in line at their designated polling place before the official closing time retains the legal right to remain in line and cast a ballot.
Voting begins at different times across the country, starting as early as 5 a.m. ET in Vermont. That opening is followed closely by Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Virginia, where polls open at 6 a.m. ET. North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia follow at 6:30 a.m. ET, while a large cohort of jurisdictions—including Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and the District of Columbia—open at 7 a.m. ET.
Opening times shift further west as the morning progresses. At 8 a.m. ET, polls open in Alabama, Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. Arkansas follows at 8:30 a.m. ET. A 9 a.m. ET opening applies in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming. Pacific and Mountain region states including California, Idaho, Nevada, and Oregon open their polls at 10 a.m. ET. Alaska and Washington commence voting at 11 a.m. ET, and Hawaii opens the final morning polls at 12 p.m. ET.
As the day concludes, poll closures begin in the eastern parts of Indiana and Kentucky at 6 p.m. ET. A major wave of closures takes place at 7 p.m. ET, encompassing Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, the remainder of Indiana and Kentucky, and the majority of Florida. North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia close their doors at 7:30 p.m. ET.
An extensive group of states concludes in-person voting at 8 p.m. ET, including Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia. Arkansas polls shut down at 8:30 p.m. ET.
At 9 p.m. ET, closures occur across Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas—where most locations close an hour earlier relative to local time adjustments—Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, and Utah wrap up voting at 10 p.m. ET.
Late-night closures take effect at 11 p.m. ET in California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Hawaii finishes at 12 a.m. ET, and Alaska concludes the nationwide schedule at 1 a.m. ET, with the majority of its regional polls closing an hour earlier. States begin tabulating and releasing election results officially once their respective polling locations have closed.
