When Do Polls Close in Each State? Here's What to Know About the 2024 Election Schedule

Whether you're planning on voting in person on Nov. 5 or you're curious about when election results will start pouring in, we gathered the polling hours for every state in the country

The 2024 general election has arrived, and states will soon begin tallying up the votes. Election results will not be reported by each state until their polling stations have closed, in an effort to not influence people's decisions.

If you are planning on voting in person on Nov. 5, or you're just curious about when election returns might start coming in, here are the polling hours for every state — including when polling stations open and when the polls close.

Alabama

Alabama is covered by both the Eastern and Central time zones. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on Election Day. 

Alaska

Alaska is the state with the latest poll closures relative to the rest of the country. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. 

Since Alaska is in both the Alaska time zone and the Hawaii-Aleutian time zone, the latest poll closures will be at 1 a.m. Eastern.

Arizona

Polls in Arizona, a potentially pivotal swing state, will be open on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, or 9 p.m. Eastern.

Arkansas

Voting opens at 7:30 a.m. Central time and closes at 7:30 p.m.

California

The state with the largest number of electoral votes, California’s polls will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Pacific, meaning on the East Coast votes won't be reported until after 11 p.m. Eastern.

Colorado

Polls in Colorado will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain time.

Connecticut

Connecticut’s Election Day hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern. 

Delaware

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern on Election Day in Delaware.

District of Columbia

Washington, D.C. voters will be able to vote on Election Day between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Eastern. 

Florida

Florida, which has leaned Republican in recent elections, is one of the larger Electoral College prizes. Polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern on Election Day.

Georgia

Just as it was in 2020, Georgia is considered one of the closest swing states in the country. Polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern on Election Day.

Hawaii

In Hawaii, polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. local time, meaning that on the East Coast, returns won’t be reported until after midnight.

Idaho

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time in Idaho — another state covered by two time zones, Mountain and Pacific.

Illinois

Polls in Illinois, a state with a large number of electoral votes, will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central.

Indiana

Indiana is among the states with the earliest poll closures on election night. Polls will be open in the Hoosier State from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time. While most of Indiana is in the Eastern time zone, parts of the state are in Central time.

Iowa

Iowa polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central. 

Kansas

Polls in Kansas will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central on Election Day. 

Kentucky

Just like Indiana, a state it borders, polls are open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. local time in Kentucky. About half the state is in the Eastern time zone, while the other half is in the Central time zone.

Louisiana

Louisiana polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central time on Election Day. 

Maine

In Maine, where Electoral College votes are split by House districts, polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, however in municipalities with fewer than 100 people, polls will be closed after every registered voter has cast a ballot.

Maryland

Polls in Maryland will open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. Eastern on Election Day.

Massachusetts

Though municipalities can choose to open polls as early as 5:45 a.m. Eastern, polls in Massachusetts are required to be open from as late as 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Michigan

A state that helped swing the 2016 and 2020 elections, Michigan will again be one of the most-watched states in the nation. Polls will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern.

Minnesota

The home state of Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, Minnesota’s polling places on Election Day will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central time.

Mississippi

Mississippi polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time on Election Day. 

Missouri

Polls in Missouri will be open for 13 hours on Election Day, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time.  

Montana

Polling places in Montana will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mountain time, except in polling districts with fewer than 400 registered voters, which can be opened as late as noon and must close if all registered voters have cast a ballot.

Nebraska

The second state with split electoral votes, Nebraska’s polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for parts of the state located in the Central time zone and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the parts that use Mountain time.

Nevada

Nevada is another potentially pivotal swing state and will have open polls from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time on Election Day, making it the latest of the expected swing states to close its polls relative to the rest of the country. Nevada is almost entirely in the Pacific time zone, meaning it won't start reporting results until 10 p.m. ET.

New Hampshire

New Hampshire’s polling place hours vary by municipality but will not close before 7 p.m. Eastern.

New Jersey

Polls in New Jersey on Election Day will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time.

New Mexico

New Mexico’s polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain time.

New York

The fourth-largest electoral prize in the country, New York’s polling places will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern.

North Carolina

Expected to be one of the closest swing states in 2024, North Carolina’s polls will be open on Election Day from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

North Dakota

North Dakota’s polling times vary by county, according to the Secretary of State’s Office. Hours for individual polling places can be found here.

Ohio

Once a tipping point state, Ohio, the home state of GOP vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, will have its polls open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

Oklahoma

Polls in Oklahoma will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central.

Oregon

Oregon’s polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. Most of the state is in the Pacific time zone, though a portion of the eastern side of the state is in the Mountain time zone.

Pennsylvania

The state most likely to decide the winner of the election, Pennsylvania’s polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern.

Rhode Island

Polls in Rhode Island will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern time.

South Carolina

Polls in South Carolina open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

Tennessee

Tennessee’s polling place hours vary by county.

Texas

Polling places in Texas, the state with the second most electoral votes, are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Most of the state is in the Central time zone, though three counties in the far west part of the state observe Mountain time.

Utah

Utah’s polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mountain time.

Vermont

Depending on the municipality, polling places in Vermont can open between 5 and 10 a.m. Eastern. All polling places will close at 7 p.m.

Virginia

In Virginia, polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time.

Washington

Polling hours vary in Washington, a state where every voter is mailed their ballot. Ballots must be dropped off in a ballot box by 8 p.m. Pacific time on Nov. 5.

West Virginia

Polls in West Virginia are open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

Wisconsin

Polls will be open on Election Day from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central time in Wisconsin, one of three key Rust Belt swing states.

Wyoming

Wyoming’s polling places will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Mountain time.