If you've spent even five minutes watching cable news during an election year, you know the drill. The maps are glowing red and blue, the pundits are talking a mile a minute, and everyone is staring at the same seven or eight states. Honestly, it’s a lot. But the question that usually gets lost in the noise is the most basic one: when do swing state polls close?
Timing is everything in these races. If a state closes its polls early, we might get an early night—or at least a hint of which way the wind is blowing. If they close late, get comfortable. You’re going to be awake until 3:00 a.m. staring at a needle that barely moves.
The First Wave: Georgia and North Carolina
Georgia is usually the first big domino to fall. Polls there close at 7:00 p.m. ET. Because Georgia has become such a reliable nail-biter lately, those first few hours of data are scrutinized like a crime scene. Most people don't realize that Georgia is actually pretty fast at counting. They’ve got laws that require a lot of the early and mail-in ballots to be processed before Election Day, so we often see a huge dump of results shortly after the 7:00 p.m. cutoff.
Then there's North Carolina. Their polls close at 7:30 p.m. ET. North Carolina is a bit of a weird one because it’s a "steady" counter. You don't always get the winner by 9:00 p.m., but you usually have a very clear picture of the margins by then. If one candidate is up by five points in North Carolina early on, it’s usually a bad sign for the other side.
The "Blue Wall" Heavyweights: Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin
This is the big one. Pennsylvania is basically the center of the political universe. Polls in the Keystone State close at 8:00 p.m. ET. Now, here’s the kicker: Pennsylvania law (as of the most recent cycles) doesn't allow election workers to start processing mail-in ballots until the morning of Election Day. That’s why we often see a "red mirage" or a "blue shift" there.
It takes forever to open those envelopes.
- Pennsylvania: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Michigan: 8:00 p.m. ET (mostly)
- Wisconsin: 9:00 p.m. ET (8:00 p.m. CT)
Michigan is a little tricky because it actually spans two time zones. Most of the state closes at 8:00 p.m. ET, but a tiny sliver of the Upper Peninsula is on Central Time and closes an hour later. Networks usually wait until that final poll closes at 9:00 p.m. ET before they start making big calls.
Wisconsin is straightforward. They close at 9:00 p.m. ET (which is 8:00 p.m. locally). Like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin can be a slow burn. If the margin is within 1%, you can bet there’s going to be a recount talk before the sun even comes up.
The Western Frontier: Arizona and Nevada
If you’re waiting on the West, pack a snack. Arizona polls close at 9:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. local). Arizona is famous for its massive mail-in voting system. Since so many people vote by mail, the state has to verify signatures on every single one. This is a slow, methodical process. Don't be surprised if the "final" result in Arizona takes days, not hours.
Nevada is the night owl of the bunch. Polls close at 10:00 p.m. ET (7:00 p.m. local). But Nevada has a "last person in line" rule that they take very seriously. If there’s a line out the door in Las Vegas at 7:00 p.m., they keep the doors open. The state won't release any results until every single person who was in line has cast their vote. We’ve seen Nevada results stay dark until 11:30 p.m. ET in previous years.
Why "Closing Time" Isn't Always "Result Time"
There’s a huge misconception that as soon as the clock hits 8:00 p.m., we know who won. Nope. Not even close. You've gotta account for "curing" ballots—that's when a voter fixes a mistake on their mail-in envelope—and provisional ballots.
Also, look out for the "Big City" factor.
In places like Atlanta, Philadelphia, or Detroit, the precincts are massive. It simply takes longer to feed those thousands of ballots through the machines than it does in a rural county with 200 voters. Usually, the rural "red" counties report first, making the Republican look like they're winning by a landslide. Then, the big "blue" cities dump their data late at night, and the numbers swing back. It's totally normal, but it drives people crazy on social media.
What about those "extended hours"?
Every now and then, a judge will order a polling place to stay open late. This happened in 2024 in some spots because of software glitches or, unfortunately, those fake bomb threats that made the rounds. If a poll in a key Pennsylvania county stays open until 10:00 p.m. because of a delay, the networks might hold off on calling the state even if the rest of the precincts are finished.
Summary of Swing State Poll Closing Times (ET)
- 7:00 p.m. ET: Georgia
- 7:30 p.m. ET: North Carolina
- 8:00 p.m. ET: Pennsylvania, Michigan (majority)
- 9:00 p.m. ET: Arizona, Wisconsin, Michigan (all)
- 10:00 p.m. ET: Nevada
Your Next Steps
If you want to stay ahead of the curve on election night, don't just watch the national map. Set a timer for these closing windows. When Georgia hits at 7:00, check the "expected vote in" percentage. If it's 20% and the margin is wide, you're looking at a long night. If you’re actually out there voting, remember: as long as you are in line by the closing time, the law says you must be allowed to vote. Do not let anyone tell you the polls are closed if you're already in that queue.
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Check your specific polling location via your Secretary of State’s website before you head out, as some local municipal hours can vary slightly from the state standard.