Election Day is in full swing across the United States, with millions of voters heading to polling stations to make their voices heard.
As Americans wait for results, here’s a rundown of when polls will close across the country, affecting when we’ll get initial vote counts in key battleground states.
The first polling stations to close will be in Indiana and Kentucky, where some locations will end voting at 6 p.m. EST, followed by the remainder of polling sites in those states at 7 p.m. EST.
Several other states join the 7 p.m. closure, including Vermont, Virginia, South Carolina, and parts of New Hampshire and Florida. Georgia, a crucial battleground state, will also close its polls at 7 p.m.
By 7:30 p.m. EST, polling stations in North Carolina, West Virginia, and Ohio will close, along with additional polling places in New Hampshire and Florida.
North Carolina is another critical state to watch, given its impact on the national electoral map.
At 8 p.m. EST, a wave of states will finish voting, including key battlegrounds and large population centers.
Polls in Pennsylvania, a pivotal state, will close at this time. Other states closing their polls at 8 p.m. include Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Washington, D.C., Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Tennessee.
Parts of Michigan, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas will also shut down voting at 8 p.m. In Pennsylvania’s Cambria County, however, polls have been granted an extension until 10 p.m. EST due to earlier ballot-scanning machine malfunctions.
Polls in Arkansas close at 8:30 p.m. EST, with additional locations in Kansas, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas closing around this time as well.
The 9 p.m. EST hour marks a critical moment as several more battlegrounds wrap up voting.
Polls will close across Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
The remaining polling stations in Kansas, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Texas will also be done by this time. Arizona and Wisconsin, in particular, will be under scrutiny for any signs of voter sentiment in this election cycle.
At 10 p.m. EST, polls in Montana, Utah, and Nevada will close, alongside some locations in Idaho and Oregon.
Cambria County in Pennsylvania will also shut down voting at 10 p.m., having been permitted to stay open later after resolving earlier technical issues. Nevada remains a closely watched state for both Senate and presidential races, depending on the year.
The final wave of closures begins at 11 p.m. EST, with all polling stations in Washington, California, and the remainder of Idaho and Oregon closing.
An hour later, at midnight EST, Hawaii will finish voting, and the first polling locations in Alaska will begin to shut down. By 1 a.m. EST on Wednesday, all voting in Alaska will be complete, wrapping up Election Day across the United States.
With polls closing at different times across the country, results will start to roll in gradually, shaping the narrative of the night and perhaps signaling outcomes in pivotal states. Stay tuned for updates as the evening progresses and results come in from coast to coast.