Election Day 2026: when it is, what time polls close in every state, when results come in and what the odds say
The 2026 midterm elections are on Tuesday 3 November. All 435 House seats, 35 Senate seats and 36 governorships are on the ballot. Poll closing times in every state in Eastern Time, the races to watch hour by hour with their odds, which states count slowly, and how prediction markets settle on election night.
In this article
Election Day 2026 is Tuesday 3 November. Americans will elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives, 35 senators and 36 governors, along with state legislators and local officials. The first polls close at 6 p.m. ET in parts of Indiana and Kentucky, and the last at 1 a.m. ET in Alaska's Aleutian Islands.
Poll closing times from 270toWin, in Eastern Standard Time (clocks go back on Sunday 1 November). Your own polling place may close earlier; check your state election office. Odds from the afternoon of 27 October 2026.
What is on the ballot
Source: 270toWin
- House: every seat, for two-year terms. Democrats need a net gain of three seats for a majority.
- Senate: 33 regular seats plus special elections in Florida (for the rest of Marco Rubio's term) and Ohio (JD Vance's). Republicans hold 22 of the 35 seats up, and the chamber 53–47.
- Governors: 36 races, including open seats in Georgia, Michigan, Ohio and California; 15 incumbents are term-limited.
Poll closing times (Eastern Time)
| Time (ET) | States (last polls closing) |
|---|---|
| 6:00 p.m. | Eastern parts of Indiana and Kentucky |
| 7:00 p.m. | Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, rest of Indiana and Kentucky, most of Florida |
| 7:30 p.m. | North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia |
| 8:00 p.m. | Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, D.C., Florida panhandle, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and most of Kansas, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas |
| 8:30 p.m. | Arkansas |
| 9:00 p.m. | Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Wisconsin, Wyoming, and the western parts of Kansas, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota and Texas |
| 10:00 p.m. | Montana, Nevada, Utah, most of Idaho |
| 11:00 p.m. | California, Oregon, Washington, northern Idaho |
| Midnight | Hawaii, most of Alaska |
| 1:00 a.m. | Alaska's Aleutian Islands |
In most states with two time zones, polls close at the same local time, so the part of the state further west closes an hour later in Eastern Time. Many New Hampshire polling places close an hour earlier than listed.
The races to watch, hour by hour
| Polls close (ET) | Race | Favourite, Polymarket |
|---|---|---|
| 7:00 p.m. | Georgia Senate | Jon Ossoff (D) 96% |
| 7:00 p.m. | Georgia governor | Keisha Lance Bottoms (D) 62.5% |
| 7:30 p.m. | North Carolina Senate | Roy Cooper (D) 97% |
| 7:30 p.m. | Ohio Senate (special) | Sherrod Brown (D) 70.5% |
| 8:00 p.m. | Maine Senate | Troy Jackson (D) 63% |
| 8:00–9:00 p.m. | Michigan Senate | Abdul El-Sayed (D) 68.5% |
| 8:00–9:00 p.m. | Texas Senate | James Talarico (D) 67.5% |
| 9:00 p.m. | Iowa Senate | Ashley Hinson (R) 58.5% |
| Midnight–1 a.m. | Alaska Senate | Mary Peltola (D) 74.5% |
Race by race: Georgia Senate · Georgia governor · Michigan · Texas · Maine · Ohio · Iowa · Alaska.
What the markets expect overall
| Market | Polymarket | Kalshi |
|---|---|---|
| Democrats win the House | 91.5% | 90.8% |
| Democrats win the Senate | 66.5% | 64% |
Source: Polymarket Balance of Power: 2026 Midterms, 27 October 2026
Show the dataHide the data
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Democrats sweep | 65.5% |
| D House, R Senate | 27.5% |
| Republicans sweep | 7.5% |
| R House, D Senate | 0.8% |
The House is the closest thing to a sure thing on the ballot; the Senate is where the uncertainty is. Democrats need a net gain of four seats, and the markets have them favoured in Michigan, Texas, Maine, Ohio, Alaska and North Carolina, while Iowa leans Republican. Live prices: House · Senate · our midterms hub.
When will we know the results?
- Early in the evening: Georgia, North Carolina and Florida usually count quickly, so lopsided races there can be called within an hour or two of polls closing.
- Late night: most Senate races in the Midwest and Texas should be clear by midnight unless they are within a point or two.
- Days later: close races in states that count mail ballots slowly. California accepts ballots postmarked by Election Day that arrive up to a week later, so its House races can take weeks. Alaska counts absentee ballots that arrive after the election and uses ranked-choice voting, so its Senate race may not be settled for two weeks.
- Ranked choice: Maine uses ranked-choice voting for federal races. If no Senate candidate has a majority, the second round is counted the following week.
- Runoffs: Georgia requires a majority; if no one gets it, the top two meet again on 1 December.
House control could be clear on the night if Democrats win as comfortably as the markets expect; if the chamber is close, it may take days. More on how the networks call races: when the midterms will be called.
How prediction markets settle on election night
Prices move as results come in: a Senate contract can go from 60¢ to 95¢ within minutes of a decisive county reporting. But the contract does not pay out until the market's rules are met, usually when major news organisations project a winner or when the result is certified. Each market lists its exact rule (how Kalshi and Polymarket markets resolve). Watching live: live election odds.
Polymarket says it is watching its election markets closely for insider trading this year (Polymarket's election investigations).
