What Time Do Polls Close in Every State?

Polls close between 6 p.m. and 1 a.m. Eastern time on Election Day, Tuesday 3 November 2026. The first to close are the Eastern-time parts of Indiana and Kentucky at 6 p.m. ET. Most states close at 7, 7:30, 8 or 9 p.m. ET, the West Coast at 11 p.m. ET, Hawaii and most of Alaska at midnight ET, and Alaska’s western Aleutian Islands last at 1 a.m. ET. If you are in line when your polls close, stay in line: every state lets you vote.

Checked against Ballotpedia and state election offices, 3 November 2026.

The board below shows each state’s closing time in local time and Eastern time, and whether its polls are open or closed right now.

States that span two time zones

Fourteen states have polling places on two clocks, so part of the state closes an hour before the rest in Eastern terms. The table counts a state as closed only when its last polling place closes.

• Alabama: 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET). A few east Alabama localities keep Eastern time and close at 7 p.m. ET.
• Alaska: 8 p.m. Alaska time (midnight ET). The western Aleutians close at 8 p.m. Hawaii-Aleutian time (1 a.m. ET).
• Florida: 7 p.m. ET for most of the state. The western Panhandle closes at 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET).
• Idaho: 8 p.m. MT in the south (10 p.m. ET), 8 p.m. PT in the north (11 p.m. ET).
• Indiana: 6 p.m. ET for most of the state. The northwest and southwest corners close at 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET).
• Kansas: 7 p.m. CT and 6 p.m. MT, both 8 p.m. ET. Counties may stay open until 8 p.m. CT (9 p.m. ET).
• Kentucky: 6 p.m. ET in the east, 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) in the west.
• Michigan: 8 p.m. ET, except four Upper Peninsula counties on Central time (9 p.m. ET).
• Nebraska: 8 p.m. CT and 7 p.m. MT. Both are 9 p.m. ET.
• North Dakota: counties close between 7 and 9 p.m. local time, so anywhere from 8 to 11 p.m. ET.
• Oregon: ballot drop sites close at 8 p.m. local. Malheur County is on Mountain time (10 p.m. ET), the rest of the state on Pacific (11 p.m. ET).
• South Dakota: 7 p.m. CT in the east (8 p.m. ET), 7 p.m. MT in the west (9 p.m. ET).
• Tennessee: every polling place closes at the same moment, 7 p.m. CT or 8 p.m. ET.
• Texas: 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET), except El Paso and Hudspeth counties on Mountain time (9 p.m. ET).

What if I’m still in line when polls close?

Stay in line. In every state, a voter who is in line at closing time gets to vote. Poll workers usually mark the end of the line when the polls close, and everyone ahead of that point votes.

If you are told to leave, ask for a provisional ballot. You can also call the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683) or your county election office. Courts sometimes order a polling place to stay open late after a problem such as a power cut or a ballot shortage. That extension applies only to the polling places named in the order.

Can I still register to vote today?

Yes, in 21 states and the District of Columbia, which allow same-day registration on Election Day:

California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The rules differ by state. Some send you to your polling place, others to a county office or vote center, and most want proof of where you live, such as a driver’s license, utility bill or pay stub. In some states, including Virginia, you vote a provisional ballot that is counted once your registration is confirmed. North Dakota has no voter registration at all, so you only need an accepted ID with your address.

In every other state, the registration deadline has passed for this election.

Where do I vote?

Your polling place depends on your address, and on Election Day you usually have to vote at your assigned one. Look it up at vote.gov, which links to every state’s official lookup, or at Can I Vote, run by the National Association of Secretaries of State. In mostly vote-by-mail states such as Colorado, Oregon and Washington, use your county’s drop box or vote center list instead.

When do results come?

States start posting unofficial counts soon after their polls close, so East Coast numbers appear first and western states later in the night. Close races, and states that count mail ballots arriving after Election Day, can take days. Every result is unofficial until the state certifies it.

We break down the timing state by state in when election results will be announced. If you are wondering about time off to vote, see whether Election Day is a federal holiday.

Sources

• Ballotpedia, State Poll Opening and Closing Times (2026).
• Ballotpedia, Same-day voter registration.
• North Carolina State Board of Elections, Vote in person on Election Day.
• Illinois State Board of Elections, elections.il.gov.
• New Jersey Division of Elections, Voter information.
• Pennsylvania Department of State, Voting at a polling place.
• Virginia Department of Elections, Casting a ballot.
• Washington Secretary of State, Voters.
• vote.gov, the official U.S. government voter registration and polling-place site.