Poll closing times and when to expect 2026 election results

Key Points:

• Election Day polls across the U.S. close at staggered times from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET, with key Senate races in states like Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Alaska drawing close attention for their impact on the balance of power in Washington.
• Early and mail-in ballots tend to report first in many states, often skewing initial results toward Democrats, but final tallies—especially after Election Day votes are counted—can shift outcomes, as seen in Florida, Georgia, Ohio, and Michigan.
• Some states, such as Maine, New Hampshire, and Alaska, have decentralized or delayed reporting processes, with Maine potentially requiring ranked-choice tabulations that could delay final results until next week, and Alaska possibly not knowing the winner until mid-November.
• States with significant mail-in voting deadlines extending beyond Election Day, including Mississippi, Kansas, and Alaska, may see vote counts and results continue to update for days or weeks after polls close.
• Key Senate races in battleground states will likely report results at various times through the night, with some states like Florida and Georgia nearing completion by midnight, while others like Alaska and Maine may take significantly longer to finalize results.