WASHINGTON – Voters will decide thousands of races nationwide on Tuesday, making it challenging to know which contests matter most as the night unfolds — and when results are likely to emerge.
Here is an hour-by-hour guide to the major races, along with indicators of how quickly each state is expected to report its votes.
All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time.
6 p.m.
The first polls close in most of Indiana and Kentucky, although statewide winners in both states cannot be declared until the final polls shut at 7 p.m. Results could come sooner in the easternmost congressional districts.
Among the contests to watch are competitive U.S. House races in Indiana’s 5th Congressional District and Kentucky’s 6th District.
7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
Polls close statewide at 7 p.m. in six states, including Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. Those states typically count nearly all their ballots on election night. During the 2024 general election, each had counted at least half its vote during the 8 p.m. hour. Georgia reached 90% at 10:21 p.m., South Carolina at 11:14 p.m. and Virginia at 12:07 a.m. The Associated Press called Republican Donald Trump the winner of Georgia’s competitive presidential contest at 12:58 a.m.
Most Florida polls also close at 7 p.m., including those in every competitive congressional district. Statewide winners, however, will not be declared until polls close in the Central Time Zone at 8 p.m.
Polls close at 7:30 p.m. in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia. All three states generally report quickly: in 2024, each had counted half its ballots by about 9 p.m. and roughly 90% during the 11 p.m. hour. The AP called Ohio’s competitive 2024 U.S. Senate race at 11:27 p.m.
Key races during this period include U.S. Senate contests in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Ohio; gubernatorial races in Georgia and Ohio; and U.S. House races in Florida, Indiana, South Carolina, Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina.
8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
The 8 p.m. hour is election night’s busiest stretch, with polls closing fully or partially in nearly half the states. That group includes pivotal states such as Florida, Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.
Florida is usually among the fastest-counting states in this group because much of its vote begins coming in during the 7 p.m. hour. In 2024, 90% of Florida’s ballots had been counted by 8:07 p.m.
In 2024, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania each passed the halfway point at 10:12 p.m. Pennsylvania reached 90% at 12:48 a.m., while New Hampshire did so at 1:42 a.m.
Maine took longer to report: its count did not reach 50% until 12:54 a.m. in 2024.
Polls close at 8 p.m. across nearly all of Michigan and Texas, including the most competitive congressional districts in both states. Statewide winners cannot be declared until the remaining polls close at 9 p.m.
Arkansas polls close at 8:30 p.m.
The main contests to follow include U.S. Senate races in Florida, Maine and New Hampshire; gubernatorial races in Florida and Pennsylvania; and U.S. House races in Alabama, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Texas.
9 p.m.
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This is election night’s other big logjam, with all polls closing in 15 states, including the midterm battlegrounds of Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Texas and Wisconsin.
The 2024 general election vote counts in Iowa, Nebraska, New York and Wisconsin all reached the halfway mark roughly in the 10 p.m. hour, while Minnesota reached 50% of all votes counted at 11:29 p.m. Iowa and New York completed 90% of the count just before midnight, while Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin reached 90% early the next day between 2 and 3:30 a.m.
Kansas, Michigan and Texas all begin releasing votes in the 8 p.m. hour, but Michigan trailed the other two in the 2024 vote count. Kansas and Texas reached 90% counted during the midnight hour, while Michigan didn’t reach that threshold until 4:50 a.m.
Although polls close in Arizona at 9 p.m., the state does not begin releasing results until 10 p.m.
Some key contests to watch in this hour are U.S. Senate races in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska and Texas; gubernatorial races in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Texas and Wisconsin; and U.S. House races in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York and Wisconsin.
10 p.m.
Polls close at 10 p.m. in Montana, Nevada and Utah, with some polls closing in the eastern portions of Idaho and Oregon.
Key contests to watch in this hour include U.S. House races in Montana, Nevada and Utah and congressional and gubernatorial races in Arizona, where polls close at 9 p.m. but results are held until 10 p.m.
11 p.m.
All polls close at 11 p.m. in California and Washington, as well as the remaining polls in Idaho and Oregon.
Elections in California and Washington are conducted primarily by mail. Mail ballots postmarked by Election Day will be counted if received by Nov. 10 in California and Nov. 23 in Washington.
In the 2024 general election, about 38% of the vote in California and about 33% of the vote in Washington was not counted on election night. The count reached 90% in Washington by Nov. 9, four days after Election Day, and in California by Nov. 14, nine days after Election Day.
Some key contests to watch in this hour are California governor, California’s Proposition 40 and U.S. House races in California and Washington.
Midnight and 1 a.m.
Polls close in Hawaii and almost all of Alaska at midnight. The final polls of the 2026 midterms close at 1 a.m. in the Aleutian Islands, home of Alaska’s westernmost polling location.
In Alaska in 2024, about 25% of the total vote was not counted on election night. The bulk of the state’s mail voting results aren’t expected before Nov. 18, the deadline to receive overseas and military ballots. Mail and early in-person ballots comprised about 35% of the total vote in 2022 and about 45% in 2024.
Key contests to watch include the Senate and House races in Alaska.
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