With voters deciding thousands of races across the United States on Tuesday (November 3, 2026), keeping track of the contests to watch and when results may arrive can be tricky.
Here is a rundown of the major races, hour by hour, and an indication of how long vote-counting may take.
All times are in Eastern Standard Time:
The first polls of the night close in most of Indiana and Kentucky, but statewide winners will not be declared in either state until the last polls close at 7 p.m. (5.30 a.m. IST, November 4, 2026). Winners could be declared in the States’ easternmost congressional districts.
Key contests include competitive U.S. House races in Indiana’s 5th and Kentucky’s 6th congressional districts.
7 p.m. (5.30 a.m. IST): .All polls close in six States, including Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia, which typically complete most of their vote counting on election night. In the 2024 general election, vote counting in all three States reached the halfway mark during the 8 p.m. hour.
The counts were 90% complete at 10.21 p.m. (8:51 a.m. IST) in Georgia, 11.14 p.m. (9:44 a.m. IST) in South Carolina and 12.07 a.m. (10.37 a.m. IST) in Virginia. The Associated Press declared Republican Donald Trump the winner of Georgia’s competitive presidential contest at 12.58 a.m. (11.28 a.m. IST).
Most Florida polls also close at 7 p.m. (5.30 a.m. IST), including those in every competitive congressional district. Statewide winners will not be declared until polls close in the Central Time Zone at 8 p.m. (6.30 a.m. IST)
7.30 p.m. (6 a.m. IST): Polls close in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia. All three States counted votes relatively quickly in 2024, reaching the halfway point at about 7.30 a.m. and roughly 90% by the 9.30 a.m. hour. The AP declared a winner in Ohio’s competitive 2024 U.S. Senate race at 11.27 p.m. (9.57 a.m. IST)
Key contests include U.S. Senate races 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. hour (6.30 a.m. IST): This is prime time on election night, with polls fully or partially closing in nearly half the States, including Florida, Maine, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania.
Florida typically counts votes quickly, with results from much of the State beginning to come in during the 7 p.m. hour (5:30 a.m. IST). In 2024, 90% of the vote had been counted by 8.07 p.m. (6.37 a.m. IST)
In 2024, vote counts in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania reached the halfway mark at 10.12 p.m. (8.42 a.m. IST). They reached 90% at 12.48 a.m. (11.18 a.m. IST) in Pennsylvania and 1:42 a.m. (12.12 p.m. IST) in New Hampshire. Maine did not reach the halfway mark until 12.54 a.m. (11.24 a.m. IST)
Polls in almost all of Michigan and Texas also close at 8 p.m. (6.30 a.m. IST), including in the States’ most competitive congressional districts. Statewide winners will not be declared until the final polls close at 9 p.m. (7.30 a.m. IST).
Polls close in Arkansas at 8.30 p.m. (7 a.m. IST).
Key contests 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.
This is election night’s other major logjam, with polls closing in 15 States, including the midterm battlegrounds of Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Texas and Wisconsin.
In 2024, vote counts in Iowa, Nebraska, New York and Wisconsin reached the halfway mark roughly in the 10 p.m. hour (7.30 a.m. IST). Minnesota reached 50% at 11.29 p.m. (9.59 a.m. IST). Iowa and New York completed 90% of their counts just before midnight (10.30 a.m. IST), while Minnesota, Nebraska and Wisconsin reached that threshold early the next day, between 2 and 3.30 a.m. (12.30 p.m. and 2 p.m. IST)
Kansas, Michigan and Texas begin releasing votes during the 8 p.m. hour, but Michigan lagged behind the other two in 2024. Kansas and Texas reached 90% counted during the midnight hour, while Michigan did not reach that point until 3.20 p.m. (1.50 a.m. IST)
Although polls close in Arizona at 9 p.m. (7.30 a.m. IST), the State does not begin releasing results until 10 p.m. (8.30 a.m. IST)
Key contests include 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. (8.30 a.m. IST): Polls close in Montana, Nevada and Utah, as well as in the eastern portions of Idaho and Oregon.
Key contests include U.S. House races in Montana, Nevada and Utah, along with congressional and gubernatorial races in Arizona, where polls close at 9 p.m. (7.30 a.m. IST) but results are held until 10 p.m. (8.30 a.m. IST)
11 p.m. (9.30 a.m. IST): All polls close 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 November 10, 2026 in California and November 23, 2026 in Washington.
In the 2024 general election, about 38% of the vote in California and 33% in Washington was not counted on election night. The count reached 90% in Washington by November 9, 2024, four days after Election Day, and in California by November 14, 2024, nine days after Election Day.
Key contests include the California Governor’s race, California’s Proposition 40 and U.S. House races in California and Washington.
Polls close in Hawaii and almost all of Alaska at midnight. The final polls of the 2026 midterms close at 1 a.m. (11.30 a.m. IST) in the Aleutian Islands, home to Alaska’s westernmost polling location.
In Alaska in 2024, about 25% of the total vote was not counted on election night. Most of the State’s mail voting results are not expected before November 18, 2026, the deadline for receiving overseas and military ballots. Mail and early in-person ballots accounted for about 35% of the total vote in 2022 and about 45% in 2024.
