Midterm 2026: Vote counts reach 90% completion at varied times across states

Voters across the United States will cast ballots on Tuesday for thousands of races, with results emerging in stages throughout the night. The speed at which votes are counted varies by state, meaning some winners will be declared in the early evening while others will not be known until the following morning. Historical data from the 2024 general election provides a benchmark for when the public can expect final tallies in this year’s midterms.

The first polls close at 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time in most of Indiana and Kentucky. However, statewide winners in these states will not be declared until 7 p.m. When polls close at 7 p.m. in Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia, vote counting typically accelerates. In 2024, these three states reached the halfway point in their counts during the 8 p.m. hour. Georgia reached 90% completion at 10:21 p.m., South Carolina at 11:14 p.m., and Virginia at 12:07 a.m. the following day.

Florida also sees most polls close at 7 p.m., but statewide results must wait until 8 p.m. when Central Time Zone polls shut down. In 2024, Florida’s count was 90% complete by 8:07 p.m. North Carolina, Ohio, and West Virginia close polls at 7:30 p.m., with counts reaching 90% in the 11 p.m. hour during the previous cycle. The Associated Press declared a winner in Ohio’s Senate race at 11:27 p.m. in 2024.

The 8 p.m. hour marks a major shift as polls close in key states including Florida, Maine, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. New Hampshire and Pennsylvania reached the halfway mark at 10:12 p.m. in 2024. Pennsylvania reached 90% completion at 12:48 a.m., while New Hampshire reached that threshold at 1:42 a.m. Maine was slower, not reaching the halfway point until 12:54 a.m. Michigan and Texas polls close at 8 p.m., but statewide results wait until 9 p.m. when final polls shut down.

At 9 p.m., polls close in 15 states, including Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin. In 2024, Iowa, Nebraska, New York, and Wisconsin reached the halfway mark around 10 p.m. Minnesota reached 50% at 11:29 p.m. Kansas and Texas reached 90% completion during the midnight hour, but Michigan did not reach that level until 4:50 a.m. Arizona polls close at 9 p.m., but the state does not release results until 10 p.m.

Polls close at 10 p.m. in Montana, Nevada, and Utah. In California and Washington, all polls close at 11 p.m. These states primarily use mail voting. In 2024, about 38% of California’s vote and 33% of Washington’s vote were not counted on election night. Washington reached 90% completion by Nov. 9, while California reached it by Nov. 14.

Hawaii and most of Alaska see polls close at midnight, with the final polls in the Aleutian Islands closing at 1 a.m. In 2024, about 25% of Alaska’s total vote was not counted on election night. The bulk of mail voting results in Alaska are not expected before Nov. 18, which is the deadline for overseas and military ballots. Mail and early in-person ballots comprised about 45% of the total vote in the state in 2024.

Key contests to watch in the early hours include U.S. Senate races in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Nebraska, and Texas. Gubernatorial races in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin are also expected to be decided in the late evening or early morning. U.S. House races in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, and Wisconsin will see results emerge as polls close in those states.