WASHINGTON (AP) — With voters deciding thousands of races across the country Tuesday, keeping track of which races to watch throughout the night – and what time to expect results – can get tricky.
Here’s an hour-by-hour recap of the biggest races, plus some clues on how long it will take to count the votes.
All times are Eastern Standard Time.
6 p.m.
The first polling stations of the night will close in most of the country. Indiana And Kentuckybut no statewide winner will be declared in either state until the final polls close at 7 p.m. It is possible to see winners declared in states’ easternmost congressional districts.
Key competitions this hour include competitive US House races in Indiana’s 5th And Kentucky’s 6th congressional districts.
7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
All polling places close at 7 p.m. in six states, including Georgia, South Carolina And Virginiawho tend to finish almost all of their counting on election night. In the 2024 general election, the vote count in the three states reached the halfway point around 8 p.m. Counts were 90% complete at 10:21 p.m. in Georgia, 11:14 p.m. in South Carolina and 12:07 a.m. in Virginia. In the presidential contest in Georgia, the Associated Press declared Republican Donald Trump the winner at 12:58 a.m.
Most Florida Polls will also close at 7 p.m., including in every competitive congressional district, but no statewide winner will be declared until polls in the central time zone close at 8 p.m.
Polls in North Carolina, Ohio And West Virginia closing at 7:30 p.m. All three states also count votes relatively quickly, reaching the halfway point around 9 p.m. in 2024 and around 90% around 11 p.m. The AP declared Ohio the winner of the competitive 2024 U.S. Senate race at 11:27 p.m.
Some key contests to watch at this time are the U.S. Senate elections 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. and 8:30 p.m.
On election night, 8 p.m. is prime time, with polls fully or partially closed in nearly half the states, including key states like Florida, Maine, New Hampshire And Pennsylvania.
Florida tends to have one of the quickest counts in this time slot, since results in most of the state begin to be released at 7 p.m. In 2024, vote counting in Florida was 90% complete as of 8:07 p.m.
The 2024 vote count in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania reached the halfway point at 10:12 p.m. They reached 90% at 12:48 a.m. in Pennsylvania and 1:42 a.m. in New Hampshire.
Maine didn’t reach the 2024 halfway point until 12:54 a.m.
In almost all of Michigan and Texas, polls close at 8 p.m., including in the states’ most competitive congressional districts, but no statewide winner will be declared until voting finally closes at 9 p.m.
Polling stations close at 8:30 p.m. Arkansas.
Some key contests to watch at this time are the U.S. Senate elections in Florida, Maine and New Hampshire; gubernatorial races in Florida and Pennsylvania; and US House races in Alabama, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New JerseyPennsylvania and Texas.
9 p.m.
It’s the other big impasse of election night, with all polling stations closed in 15 states, including the midterm battlegrounds of Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, new York, Texas And Wisconsin.
Vote counts for the 2024 general election in Iowa, Nebraska, New York, and Wisconsin all reached halfway through the count around 10 p.m., while Minnesota reached 50% of all votes counted by 11:29 p.m. Iowa and New York completed 90% of the count just before midnight, while Minnesota, Nebraska, and Wisconsin reached 90% early the next day between 2 and 3:30 a.m.
Kansas, Michigan and Texas all begin reporting votes at 8 p.m., but Michigan lags behind the other two in the 2024 vote count. Kansas and Texas reached 90% counts at midnight, while Michigan didn’t reach that threshold until 4:50 a.m.
Although polls close at 9 p.m. in Arizona, the state doesn’t begin reporting results until 10 p.m.
Some key contests to watch at this time are the U.S. Senate elections in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska and Texas; gubernatorial races in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Texas and Wisconsin; and the US House races in Arizona, ColoradoIowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, New MexicoNew York and Wisconsin.
10:00 p.m.
Polling stations close at 10 p.m. Montana, Nevada And Utahwith some polling places closing in eastern parts of Idaho and Oregon.
Key contests to watch at this time include the U.S. House of Representatives races in Montana, Nevada and Utah, as well as the congressional and gubernatorial elections in Arizona, where polls close at 9 p.m. but results are held until 10 p.m.
11:00 p.m.
All polling stations close at 11 p.m. California And Washingtonas well as the remaining surveys in Idaho And Oregon.
Elections in California and Washington are conducted primarily by mail. Mail-in ballots postmarked on Election Day will be counted if received by November 10 in California and November 23 in Washington.
In the 2024 general election, about 38% of the votes in California and about 33% of the votes in Washington were not counted on election night. The count reached 90% in Washington on November 9, four days after Election Day, and in California on November 14, nine days after Election Day.
Some key contests to watch at this time are the California governor, California Proposition 40, and the U.S. House races in California and Washington.
Midnight and 1 a.m.
The polls are getting closer Hawaii and almost everything Alaska at midnight. The final polls for the 2026 midterm elections close at 1 a.m. in the Aleutian Islands, home to Alaska’s westernmost voting location.
In Alaska, in 2024, approximately 25% of the total votes were not counted on election night. The bulk of the state’s mail-in voting results are not expected until Nov. 18, the deadline to receive overseas and military ballots. Mail-in and in-person votes accounted for about 35% of total votes in 2022 and about 45% in 2024.
Key contests to watch include the Senate and House races in Alaska.
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Follow AP coverage of the 2026 midterm elections at https://apnews.com/hub/elections.
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