An hour-by-hour guide to election night poll closings

By Rhyannon Bartlett-Imadegawa, Ethan Cohen, CNN

(CNN) — It’s almost Election Day, and the balance of power in Washington is at stake as Americans vote to determine control of the Senate and House of Representatives — plus, settle races for governor and decide many other key issues.

This is a comprehensive guide to poll closing times across the United States on election night, with analysis on when to expect results in the key Senate races that will shape the balance of power — relying on data on when CNN previously called statewide elections in recent years.

Click or tap the state name to see when statewide presidential, Senate and governor races were called by CNN in previous races from 2022 to 2025. All times in this piece are in Eastern Time.

6 p.m. ET

7 p.m. ET

Key Senate race: Florida

Polls in most of Florida close at 7 p.m. ET, and counties will start reporting mail and early votes almost immediately. The state counts quickly — in 2024 about 84% of the vote was reported by 8 p.m., when polls in the western part of the state closed. But because those votes are from early and mail ballots, they’re typically more Democratic than the final results. Virtually all of the state’s votes were reported by midnight.

Key Senate race: Georgia

Most Georgia counties report early and/or mail votes first. Rural counties in Georgia report more quickly, which can make the results appear more Republican-leaning for much of the first few hours of the night. But the state largely finishes reporting quickly. In 2024, they had only 2% left to count at midnight ET, and less than 1% left by 5 a.m.

Key Senate race: South Carolina

In 2024 only about 10% of the vote was reported in the first hour after polls closed and less than 80% was in after three hours. Many counties report early or mail ballots first. In 2024, the state stopped reporting at around 3:20 a.m. ET Wednesday, with about 2% of the vote left to count.

Other races

7:30 p.m. ET

Key Senate race: North Carolina

Mail and early votes are expected to be reported first in North Carolina, shortly after polls close. They’ll be followed by Election Day results. In 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris led for about the first hour. That year, about 99% was in by 2:30 a.m. ET, when the state stopped reporting for the night. But there will be fewer votes to count after Election Day this year as the state ended its grace period for mail ballots.

Key Senate race: Ohio

Early results in Ohio typically tilt more Democratic than the final results, as counties generally report absentee and early votes first. In 2024, the state reached 90% reporting by 11 p.m. ET and 98% early Wednesday morning. But Ohio ended its grace period for mail ballots, so there will be fewer votes to count after Election Day.

Other races

8 p.m. ET

Key Senate race: Maine

The state of Maine doesn’t centrally report votes on election night. That means reporters need to gather results from nearly 500 municipalities around the state. In 2024, it took until Wednesday afternoon for 90% of the vote to be reported. Several write-in candidates filed for the state’s Senate race this cycle, so if no candidate wins a majority of ballots cast, the election would be determined by a ranked-choice tabulation. That likely wouldn’t take place until late next week.

Key Senate race: Mississippi

In 2024, about half of Mississippi’s votes were reported by 10 p.m. ET. Mississippi requires an excuse to vote early in-person or by mail, so the vast majority of the vote is cast on Election Day. But mail ballots postmarked by Election Day can be received until November 10. In 2024, about 13% of the state’s vote was uncounted by noon on Wednesday.

Key Senate race: New Hampshire

New Hampshire’s votes are only reported at the local level. The state has very little mail balloting, so the reporting pattern is more a function of which towns are included in the count at different times. In 2024, early results came from more Democratic towns than Republican ones, and the state didn’t reach 90% reporting until early Wednesday.

Key Senate race: Texas

Polls in most of Texas close at 8 p.m. ET. Because most Texans vote before Election Day, more than 60% of its votes in 2024 were in by the time the polls at the western end of the state closed at 9 p.m. Those early reports were rosier for Harris than the final results, but even so, Trump had a nine-point lead after the first hour. The state hit 90% reporting after midnight. The state accepts postmarked ballots until Wednesday but voters need an excuse to vote by mail.

Other races

8:30 p.m. ET

9 p.m. ET

Key Senate race: Iowa

Most Iowa counties report their absentee votes first, which can result in a Democratic lead early in the night. In 2024, Vice President Kamala Harris led in Iowa for essentially the whole first hour, even as she lost the state by 13 points. That year, 90% of the state’s votes were reported before midnight ET, with 99% reported by late morning Wednesday.

Key Senate race: Kansas

In 2024, about 30% of Kansas’ votes were reported before 9 p.m. ET, when polls close in the western part of the state. Since most counties report absentee votes first, early results can appear to be more Democratic leaning than the end of night results. While President Donald Trump won the state by 16 points in 2024, his lead was less than six points at 10 p.m. While Kansas reported 96% of its votes by 1 a.m., the state accepts properly postmarked mail ballots until Friday.

Key Senate race: Michigan

While most polls in Michigan close at 8 p.m. ET, the state reported less than 10% of its votes in 2024 before polls closed statewide at 9 p.m. Reporting in Michigan varies significantly by county and locality, but in 2024, votes were more Democratic early in the evening. But by midnight, the results were leaning Republican, until the Democratic stronghold of Wayne County, home to Detroit, released hundreds of thousands of votes starting at around 4 a.m.

Key Senate race: Minnesota

Hennepin County is the state’s largest county by population, home to Minneapolis and heavily Democratic. The county typically reports the vast majority of its votes all at once. In 2022, that report came at 10:10 p.m. ET, but in 2024 it didn’t come until 11:30 p.m. That’s largely why early results Minnesota can be significantly more Republican than the final margin. The state groups pre-election ballots with results from polling places, and is nearly entirely reported by sunrise on Wednesday.

Key Senate race: Nebraska

Reporting in Nebraska can lean significantly more Democratic than final margins for hours, as early and mail ballots are generally reported first. In 2024, results got closer to the final margin by about 2 a.m. ET. Results actually end the night more Republican than the final margin, as Douglas County, the state’s largest, doesn’t report mail ballots received on Election Day, typically a heavily Democratic batch, until Friday.

Other races

10 p.m. ET

11 p.m. ET

12 a.m. ET

1 a.m. ET

Key Senate race: Alaska

Alaska expects their first report around 1 a.m. ET, when the last polls close. On election night, the state will report Election Day votes, early in-person votes cast before October 29 and some mail votes. But Alaska typically has about 15-25% of its vote left to count, and it could be a week until more mail votes are reported. Properly postmarked mail ballots can be received until November 13. And if a ranked-choice tabulation is necessary, the winner might not be known until November 18.

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