Polling times for the 2026 midterm election will vary widely across the United States, with voting beginning as early as 5am Eastern Time in Vermont and continuing until noon in Hawaii on Tuesday, November 3.
Millions of Americans are expected to vote in person, while more than 57 million people have already cast ballots through early voting. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia offer early voting, with Alabama, Mississippi and New Hampshire the exceptions.
Eight states and Washington DC automatically send a mail-in ballot to every registered voter, although voters can generally still choose to vote in person. Anyone already in line when a polling site closes has the right to remain there and cast their ballot.
2026 midterm election polling times
Vermont is the first state to begin voting, at 5am Eastern Time. Polls open at 6am in Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York and Virginia.
Polling stations open at 6.30am in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia. At 7am, voting begins in Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and South Carolina.
Alabama, Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin open their polls at 8am.
Voting starts at 9am in Colorado, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. California, Idaho, Nevada and Oregon are the last mainland states to open, at 10am.
Polls open at 11am in Alaska and Washington, followed by Hawaii at noon.
When the first polls close
The first polling stations to close are in the eastern parts of Indiana and Kentucky, at 6pm Eastern Time. At 7pm, polls close in Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia, along with the rest of Indiana and Kentucky and most of Florida.
North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia follow at 7.30pm. Polls close at 8pm in Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.
At 9pm, polling stations close in Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Most of Texas closes an hour earlier.
Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota and Utah close their polls at 10pm. California, Idaho, Oregon and Washington follow at 11pm, while most of Alaska closes at 1am.
