Election night 2026: what to watch as polls close in waves from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern. Here are the Senate, governor and House races to watch as each wave closes, with ratings from Cook Political Report.
Updated Nov. 3, 2026. Data as of 6:45 a.m. ET.
Election night 2026: what to watch depends on the hour. The first polls close at 6 p.m. Eastern time on Tuesday, Nov. 3, in most of Kentucky and Indiana, and the last ones, in Alaska’s western Aleutian Islands, close at 1 a.m. Wednesday. In between, voting ends in the states with the races that will decide control of the U.S. Senate and House.
This guide lists the key races by the hour their polls close. It covers every Senate, governor and House race that Cook Political Report rates a Toss Up, plus selected races Cook rates Lean or Likely. All times are Eastern Standard Time. Daylight saving time ended Nov. 1, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Poll closings are not results. Politics Elections does not call or project races.
For every state’s full hours, see what time polls close in all 50 states.
Election night 2026 what to watch: the key races at a glance
Cook’s Senate ratings, updated Nov. 2, list six Toss Up races: Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Ohio and Texas. All six seats are now held by Republicans. Cook’s Oct. 30 closing analysis says Democrats need to gain four seats to win the majority. On Nov. 2, Cook moved Michigan’s open seat from Toss Up to Lean Democrat.
Cook’s governor ratings, dated Oct. 29, list three Toss Ups: Georgia, Kansas and Nevada. Its House ratings, dated Nov. 2, list 18 Toss Up districts, 14 held by Republicans and four by Democrats.
6 p.m. ET: Kentucky and Indiana
Most polling places in Kentucky and Indiana close at 6 p.m. local time. Both states are split between time zones, so counties on Central time close an hour later, at 7 p.m. ET.
- Kentucky’s 6th District (open seat, Lexington area): Toss Up, according to Cook. The district is in the Eastern time zone.
7 p.m. ET: Georgia, South Carolina, Virginia and most of Florida
Polls close at 7 p.m. in Georgia, South Carolina and Virginia. Florida law sets 7 p.m. local time, so most of the state closes at 7 p.m. ET and the Panhandle counties on Central time close at 8 p.m. ET. In New Hampshire, each town sets its closing time, which can be no earlier than 7 p.m.
- Georgia governor (open seat): Republican Rick Jackson and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms. Toss Up, according to Cook. Cook rates Sen. Jon Ossoff’s race Likely Democrat.
- House Toss Ups: South Carolina’s 1st District (open seat), Virginia’s 1st District (Rep. Rob Wittman), and Florida’s 14th District (Rep. Kathy Castor) and 22nd District (open seat).
- Also on the ballot: Florida governor (open seat, Lean Republican per Cook), which is not fully closed until the Panhandle at 8 p.m.; New Hampshire’s open Senate seat (Lean Democrat) and Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s race (Likely Republican).
7:30 p.m. ET: Ohio and North Carolina
Polls close at 7:30 p.m. in Ohio, North Carolina and West Virginia.
- Ohio Senate special election: Sen. Jon Husted, a Republican, and Democrat Sherrod Brown. Toss Up, according to Cook.
- Ohio governor (open seat): Republican Vivek Ramaswamy and Democrat Amy Acton. Lean Democrat, according to Cook.
- House Toss Ups: Ohio’s 7th District (Rep. Max Miller) and North Carolina’s 1st District (Rep. Don Davis).
- Also on the ballot: North Carolina’s open Senate seat, rated Likely Democrat by Cook.
8 p.m. ET: Maine, Kansas, Texas, Pennsylvania and Michigan
The 8 p.m. wave is the largest of the night. Polls close in Maine, Pennsylvania, most of Michigan, most of Texas, the Florida Panhandle and most of Kansas, along with several other states.
- Maine Senate: Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican, and Democrat Troy Jackson. Toss Up, according to Cook. Maine uses ranked-choice voting for federal offices.
- Kansas Senate and governor: Sen. Roger Marshall, a Republican, and Democrat Adam Hamilton; for the open governor’s seat, Republican Ty Masterson and Democrat Cindy Holscher. Cook rates both Toss Up. Kansas counties close at 7 p.m. Central or 6 p.m. Mountain by default, both 8 p.m. ET, but state law lets a county keep polls open as late as 8 p.m. Central or 7 p.m. Mountain, which is 9 p.m. ET.
- Texas Senate (open seat): Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico. Toss Up, according to Cook. El Paso and Hudspeth counties, on Mountain time, close at 9 p.m. ET.
- House Toss Ups: Pennsylvania’s 1st District (Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick); Texas’ 15th District (Rep. Monica De La Cruz) and 35th District (open seat); and Michigan’s 4th District (Rep. Bill Huizenga), 7th District (Rep. Tom Barrett) and 10th District (open seat).
- Also on the ballot: Michigan’s open Senate seat, with Republican Mike Rogers and Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, rated Lean Democrat by Cook since Nov. 2. Michigan’s governor race is also Lean Democrat. Four Upper Peninsula counties on Central time close at 9 p.m. ET.
9 p.m. ET: Iowa, Colorado, New York, Arizona and Wisconsin
Polls close at 9 p.m. ET in Iowa, Colorado, New York, Arizona and Nebraska, along with Wisconsin, Minnesota and several other states.
- Iowa Senate (open seat): Republican Ashley Hinson and Democrat Josh Turek. Toss Up, according to Cook. Iowa’s 2nd District, the open seat Hinson now holds, is also a Toss Up.
- House Toss Ups: Colorado’s 5th District (Rep. Jeff Crank) and New York’s 17th District (Rep. Mike Lawler).
- Also on the ballot: Wisconsin’s open governor’s seat, with Republican Tom Tiffany and Democrat David Crowley, and Iowa’s open governor’s seat, both rated Lean Democrat by Cook; Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (Likely Democrat); Nebraska Sen. Pete Ricketts and Gov. Jim Pillen (both Lean Republican); and Minnesota’s open Senate seat (Lean Democrat).
10 p.m. ET: Nevada and Montana
Polls close at 7 p.m. Pacific in Nevada and 8 p.m. Mountain in Montana, both 10 p.m. ET. Utah and most of Idaho also close at 10 p.m. ET.
- Nevada governor: Gov. Joe Lombardo, a Republican, and Democrat Aaron Ford. Toss Up, according to Cook.
- House Toss Up: Montana’s 1st District (open seat). Cook rates Nevada’s open 2nd District Lean Republican.
11 p.m. ET: California and the West Coast
Voting ends at 8 p.m. Pacific in California, Washington and Oregon. Most of Malheur County, Oregon, is on Mountain time and closes at 10 p.m. ET.
- House Toss Up: California’s 22nd District (Rep. David Valadao).
- Also on the ballot: Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek’s race, rated Lean Democrat by Cook.
Midnight and 1 a.m. ET: Alaska and Hawaii
Most Alaska polling places close at 8 p.m. Alaska time, which is midnight ET. Hawaii closes at 7 p.m. Hawaii time, also midnight ET. The western Aleutian Islands, on Hawaii-Aleutian time under federal time zone rules, close at 1 a.m. ET Wednesday.
- Alaska Senate: Sen. Dan Sullivan, a Republican, and Democrat Mary Peltola are among four candidates on the ranked-choice ballot. Toss Up, according to Cook.
- Also on the ballot: Alaska’s open governor’s seat (Lean Democrat) and Rep. Nick Begich’s at-large House seat (Lean Republican).
Why some races may not be settled on election night
A poll closing is when counting starts, not when a race ends. Mail ballot deadlines, provisional ballots and ranked-choice rules can push results past Tuesday. The Alaska Division of Elections says ranked-choice results “will not be available until November 18, 2026.” In Maine, the Secretary of State says a ranked-choice tabulation in Augusta follows if no candidate wins a majority. For state-by-state counting rules, see when election results will be known.
About these times and ratings
Closing times come from state election offices and state laws, checked the morning of Nov. 3, 2026, and converted to Eastern Standard Time. Voters in line at closing time can still vote in many states; check with the local election office. Ratings are Cook Political Report’s as of the dates shown and can change. Toss Up means Cook sees the race as competitive. It is not a forecast. Politics Elections reports official results as states post them.
