The first polls will close at 6 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, and the last at 1 a.m. Eastern on Wednesday. In between, there will be a steady stream of closings every 30 to 60 minutes, with voting ending in the key presidential swing states between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern.
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This guide offers a state-by-state breakdown, with some tips on what results to watch for at each point in the night. Keep in mind, though, that some states will count votes faster than others. The pace depends in large part on individual state laws, such as whether election officials are allowed to begin processing mail-in ballots before the polls close.
As was the case in 2020, early returns may be misleading, not because anything is inaccurate but simply because different ballot categories — mail-in, early in-person and Election Day in-person — represent different segments of the electorate. Depending on which category is reported first in a given state, Democrats or Republicans could appear to have a lead that then erodes as the full results come in.
States where polls are closing at this time
What to watch
The first closings are in parts of Indiana and Kentucky. (The western half of Kentucky and two small western corners of Indiana — that is, the parts of those states that are on Central time instead of Eastern — will stay open for another hour.)
At the federal level, nothing competitive is happening in either state. They’re both solidly Republican in the presidential race, and there are no close House or Senate races, though Democrats are trying to break the Republican supermajority in the Indiana Legislature.
States where polls are closing at this time
What to watch
This hour brings our first swing-state closing, in Georgia. It’s one of the seven key states in the presidential race, and it tends to count votes fairly quickly, but a close race — President Biden won Georgia in 2020 by fewer than 12,000 votes — could still mean a long wait for a winner.
In Virginia, there are competitive House races in the Second and Seventh Districts, and in Florida, Democrats have a long-shot opportunity to flip a Senate seat. We’ll also be closely watching the results of a referendum that would enshrine abortion rights in the Florida Constitution; it needs a supermajority of 60 percent to pass. Keep in mind that the polls in part of the state’s conservative Panhandle will be open for another hour.
States where polls are closing at this time
What to watch
North Carolina and Ohio are the key states here. The polls also close in West Virginia at this time.
North Carolina is one of the seven presidential swing states. It also has a closely watched governor’s race, though that may be less competitive than originally expected because of the scandals surrounding the Republican nominee, Mark Robinson. Ohio, while not competitive in the presidential election, is one of the states where control of the Senate will be decided: Senator Sherrod Brown, a Democrat, is running for re-election against the Republican Bernie Moreno.
States where polls are closing at this time
What to watch
This is a big one, with polls closing in a slew of states, including the battlegrounds of Michigan and Pennsylvania. (A few counties in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula will be open for another hour.) Those are two of the three “blue wall” states that Donald Trump flipped in 2016 but President Biden won back in 2020, and they could very well determine the outcome of the presidential election this year. They also both have competitive Senate races and multiple close House races.
There is also a potentially competitive Senate race in Texas, where Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, is favored to win re-election but could fall if Democrats have a particularly strong night. And Missouri has an abortion-rights referendum.
States where polls are closing at this time
What to watch
The polls close in Arkansas at this time, but the state, which is solidly Republican, doesn’t have any competitive races at the federal level.
States where polls are closing at this time
What to watch
Arizona and Wisconsin are two of the key states to watch at this point. They will be the fifth and sixth of the presidential swing states to finish voting, leaving only Nevada still open, and both of them also have competitive Senate races.
Keep one eye on Nebraska, too — it and Maine are the only states that split their electoral votes by congressional district, and the Second District leans toward Democrats but not overwhelmingly so. If Trump won that district, it would be a good sign for him. There are also several House races to pay attention to in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, New Mexico and New York, and there are abortion-rights referendums on the ballot in Arizona, Nebraska and South Dakota.
States where polls are closing at this time
What to watch
The polls are now closed in all seven presidential swing states, with Nevada — also home to a competitive Senate campaign — bringing up the back of the pack.
Also important is Montana, where the outcome of the Senate race between the Democratic incumbent Jon Tester and his Republican challenger, Tim Sheehy, could determine control of the chamber. Montanans and Nevadans are also both voting on abortion-rights referendums.
States where polls are closing at this time
What to watch
It’s all about Congress in the states closing now. Between California, Oregon and Washington, there are at least 10 competitive House races, more than enough to be decisive for control of the chamber. But don’t expect results fast. California is notorious for slow vote counts. In past election cycles, some races have remained uncalled more than a week after Election Day.
States where polls are closing at this time
What to watch
The polls are now closed in Hawaii, but there’s nothing to see there — the presidential, Senate and House races are all solidly Democratic. Keep watching the states that closed earlier. Or think about going to sleep?
States where polls are closing at this time
What to watch
Seven hours after the first polls closed in the Eastern time zone, Alaska will end the night. Representative Mary Peltola, a Democrat, is fighting for re-election in a red state.
Results will continue to flow in, from Alaska and the rest of the country, long after the last voter has gone home. If one candidate wins comfortably, we might have enough information to know by this point. But if the election is as close as polls suggest, we could be in for a much longer wait.
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