Here's how to watch election night as the polls close, hour-by-hour
People grab stickers on the first day of early voting in New York, on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026.
Heather Khalifa/AP
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Heather Khalifa/AP
Vote counting will start Tuesday night but could go on for days or even weeks.
While control of the House could become clear sooner because of bigger margins, control of the Senate could take much longer — the margins are tighter, seven states are especially competitive and two states use ranked choice voting which can prolong count time. Control of the House likely won’t come down to one seat, but control of the Senate very well could.
As results are being tallied, here is a guide to watch election night as polls close across the country (all times in Eastern Time and organized by latest poll close time).
To jump to a specific poll closing time, use the links below:
7 p.m. ET | 7:30 p.m. ET | 8 p.m. ET | 8:30 p.m. ET | 9 p.m. ET | 10 p.m. ET | 11 p.m. ET | 12 a.m. ET | 1 a.m. ET
7 p.m. ET: Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia, Vermont
To get things started, all eyes are on the senate and gubernatorial races in Georgia and Florida.
Georgia: Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is likely to defeat Republican Rep. Mike Collins in the race for Senate. The governor’s race is tighter, one of the most competitive in the south between Republican nominee, billionaire businessman Rick Jackson and Democratic candidate, former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. Despite delays in elections past, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger has told local news that new laws require counties to report results within an hour of polls closing.
South Carolina: This is an unexpectedly tight Senate race between Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed to the seat after her brother Linsdey Graham died, and Democratic nominee Annie Andrews. Many national polls say the race in this heavily Republican state is a toss up, while the Cook Political Report says Republicans have the advantage.
7:30 p.m. ET: North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia
North Carolina and Ohio have Senate and governor’s races to watch.
North Carolina: Polls and pundits show North Carolina’s Republican-held Senate seat is the most likely flip for the Democrats. The contest is between former Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper and Michael Whatley, the former Republican National Committee chairman and close Trump ally. The last time Democrats won a Senate race in the state was in 2008, and the path to a Democratic majority becomes much less likely if the party loses this one.
Ohio: This is the first of the seven tight Senate races on Tuesday night that could define control of the Senate. Republican Sen. Jon Husted and former Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown are deadlocked. Ohio used to be thought of as a swing state but in the last decade, it’s become solidly Republican, so the close races have attracted attention. For governor, former state health director, Democrat Amy Acton is leading in the polls against venture capitalist, Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, who recently launched an attack ad against Acton featuring her estranged mother. The blowback to the ad was so significant, it could hurt Husted as well as Ramaswamy.
8 p.m.: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Washington, D.C.
Polls would now be closed in more than half the country. There is potential for calls at poll-close in governor’s races in favor of Republicans in Alabama, South Dakota and Tennessee and in favor of Democrats in Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
Maine: Despite the late entry by the Democratic candidate, Troy Jackson, the race is tough for incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins. But Collins has remained resilient in face of challenges in the past. This is another seat targeted by Democrats to pick up, in the only place a Republican holds a Senate seat in a state won by Kamala Harris in 2024.
Florida: Another former swing state that has become solidly red in recent elections, the governor’s race between Republican Rep. Byron Donalds and his Democratic opponent David Jolly favors Republicans. But for Donalds to hold only a slight poll advantage follows the national trend of Republicans lagging behind in traditional strongholds. The Senate race is slightly less competitive. Incumbent Sen. Ashley Moody is poised to win over Democratic state Rep. Angie Nixon. Where Florida has a lot of political consequence on election night is in its competitive House races. Florida is a state that redrew its congressional maps ahead of this election and this will be the first test. According to the Cook Political Report, seven House seats are competitive with two toss-ups.
Pennsylvania: For a significant portion of this election cycle, Pennsylvania has been the state with the most competitive House races — four, including three toss-ups. But as the map has solidified in the last month, all three toss-ups now lean toward Democrats. The last is a toss-up. Democrats could have a big night here.
New Hampshire: At one point, this race was quite close but the gap between Democratic Rep. Chris Pappas and former Republican Sen. John Sununu has widened, giving Pappas the edge. Still, New Hampshire is a state with a popular Republican governor expected to win in the same election and Republicans see this as a potential long-shot pick up opportunity.
8:30 p.m.: Arkansas
Arkansas: The Senate race is not very competitive but if Republicans’ margin is smaller than usual, that could show that Democrats got more votes than usual in places that they haven’t traditionally won. Plus, there’s a House race here that Republicans have poured money into in the final days. Not a state to watch closely but could give insight into the larger electorate.
9 p.m.: Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming
Another major hour for poll closures. At this point, polls are closed in more than 80% of the states. Eyes and energy will begin shifting to initial results out of Iowa, Kansas, Michigan and Texas, where competitive senate races are at play that could decide control of the chamber.
Arizona: One of the most competitive gubernatorial contests is happening in this swing state. Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is hoping to fend off MAGA-aligned Republican Rep. Andy Biggs. This has tilted toward Hobbs at the end but Arizona is known for an independent streak in politics.
There are major Senate races in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan and Texas. Three of those states are reliably Republican and Democrats’ ability to be neck-and-neck in those states shows the frustration voters feel about the economy and the Trump presidency.
In Texas, a Democrat hasn’t won statewide since the early 1990s. Democratic nominee state Rep. James Talarico faces off against Republican nominee Ken Paxton, who has had to grapple with a scandal-riddled past. Talarico could take an early lead as early voting data and mail in ballots are counted but Paxton will probably start to gain ground as counties will start reporting their totals. While the governor’s race between Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and state Rep. Gina Hinojosa is also close, Abbott is still favored.
Kansas Republicans are trying to keep Sen. Roger Marshall in the Senate. This seemed like a safe seat for Republicans until Democrat Adam Hamilton entered with his moderate message. Add to that, the Trump brand is not having the same impact in Kansas as it once did and we have another race that’s become too close to call.
Republicans are nervous about Iowa because the open Senate race is a little too close for comfort. Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson is up against Democratic moderate state Rep. Josh Turek. Plus, three of the state’s four Republican-held congressional seats are competitive, with two leaning toward Democrats. Democrats have their strongest chance for a pick up at governor in Iowa with state auditor Rob Sand. He’s favored after running a very strong campaign, deemphasizing partisan politics.
A lot of media oxygen this election cycle focused on Michigan as the race between Democrat Abdul El-Sayed and Republican former Rep. Mike Rogers unfolded. Republicans spent money running Islamophobic ads against El-Sayed who responded by leaning deeper into his personal story. Tuesday night will reveal which struck a chord with Michiganders. If El-Sayed wins, it will be a massive victory for the progressive wing of the party but this race remains a toss-up, even as the swing state’s governor contest favors the Democrat, secretary of state Jocelyn Benson over Republican Rep. John James.
Then there’s Minnesota, which, like New Hampshire, is a long-shot pick up target for Republicans. What’s different here is that Democrats nominated progressive Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan who has had to answer questions about fraud in state agencies that happened under her watch. Plus, Republican candidate, former NFL sportscaster Michelle Tafoya has run a solid race and been able to toe the line between distancing from Trump and backing Republican policies. Tafoya isn’t expected to win but Minnesota could be too close for comfort for Democrats.
There are many competitive House races in this time block, including toss up races in Arizona, Colorado, Michigan and New York. With such a narrow majority for Republicans in the chamber, each of these races will be closely watched to see which seats Democrats are able to flip.
10 p.m. Montana, Nevada, Utah
Polls in three more mountain west states are closed. Eyes are on Montana, another reliably Republican state, that could surprise the country by sending a Democrat to Congress.
Montana: The state’s closest race is the toss-up House race in the 1st Congressional District where Sam Forstag, the Democratic nominee and former smokejumper, and Republican Aaron Flint, a combat veteran, are in a competitive race. Another interesting race in Montana is the Senate contest. The independent candidate, Seth Bodnar, feels like he has a shot at winning the race against a Republican incumbent and a Democrat who is on the ballot but Republicans are favored.
Nevada: Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo is fighting to keep his seat in a state that has been hit hard by economic conditions. Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford is the Democratic nominee and the race is considered a toss-up.
11 p.m.: California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
At this point, voters in the Pacific Northwest, California and Idaho are done casting ballots. It could feel like a whole new election night has begun.
California: The state has a new congressional map affecting the state of some House races. In 2025, voters opted to redraw the boundaries in the state in response to President Trump’s redistricting battle to secure more safe Republican seats. The decision made the state less competitive for Republicans and the close races have mostly tilted toward Democrats in the final weeks. But in California’s Central Valley, there is a true toss-up race. There are also tax-related propositions on California’s ballot, including a billionaire tax. California is a slow counting state so races may not be called quickly.
Oregon: Despite Oregon being a solidly blue state, voters are unhappy with the Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek. She faces a closer than expected race against Republican state Sen. Christine Drazan.
12 a.m. ET: Hawaii
1 a.m. ET: Alaska
Alaska: The final state to finish voting on Election Day and by this point in the night (early Wednesday morning on the East Coast), people will be eagerly awaiting the first drop of results for the toss-up Senate race. Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan is in a race against Democratic nominee, former Rep. Mary Peltola. But there’s been some drama in the contest. There are two Dan Sullivans in the ballet. A recent investigation by the New York Times alleges the Democratic party may have recruited the other Dan Sullivan to run in order to siphon votes from the incumbent Dan Sullivan. Peltola denies any involvement in the alleged scheme.
The governor’s race is also competitive, with three Republican candidates on the ballot and one Democrat. That Democrat, Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, picked up a key endorsement from Alaska’s other Republican senator, Lisa Murkowski. The other statewide race, Alaska’s at-large congressional seat, is leaning toward Republicans but still less competitive than in past years. A note of caution: Alaska uses ranked choice voting and the results could take weeks — yes, weeks — to be finalized.
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