When do polling stations close on Election Day, Tuesday, November 5, 2024? | US elections 2024

AAfter a historic US election cycle that saw the incumbent president withdraw from his party's candidacy and two assassination attempts against the Republican presidential candidate, voters are (finally) casting their ballot.

Tens of millions of Americans will have already voted when the polls close on November 5, but tens of millions more will cast their ballots in person on Election Day. In 2020, more than 200 million Americans voted in the presidential election, with turnout reaching its highest level since 1992.

This year, election experts expect similarly high voter turnout as Americans strive to make their voices heard in what is likely to be a very close contest between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Voters will also have the opportunity to vote in thousands of other federal, state and local elections.

As voters head to the polls, here's a guide to ensuring you have an eventful election night:

6 p.m. ET: The polling stations begin to close

The first polls will close in eastern Kentucky and much of Indiana at 6 p.m. ET. The Democrats' expectations in the two Republican-leaning states are low: Trump is virtually guaranteed to win both, and Republicans are also expected to easily hold most of the House of Representatives seats in the two states.

7pm ET: Polls are completely closed in six states, including Georgia

Americans will get their first indication of the outcome of the presidential election at 7 p.m. ET when polls close in the battleground state of Georgia. Joe Biden won Georgia by just 0.2 points in 2020, after Trump won the state by 5 points four years earlier. This year, Trump appears to have a slight advantage over Harris in the Peach State, but a strong night for Democrats could put Georgia in their win column again.

As Georgia begins counting its ballots, polls are also closing in Virginia, where both parties hope to pick up a House seat. Republicans are looking to expand their narrow majority in the House of Representatives, and the results in Virginia's second and seventh congressional districts could be the first indication of the party's success.

7:30 p.m. ET: Polls closed in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia

North Carolina represents one of the biggest tests for Harris, who is tied with Trump in the state's polls. Trump won North Carolina by one point in 2020 and by three points in 2016, and a loss in this battleground state could doom the former president. Democrats are also expecting a win in the North Carolina governor's race given recent revelations about Republican Mark Robinson's disturbing internet activities.

Meanwhile, results in Ohio and West Virginia could determine control of the Senate. Republicans are expected to win a seat in West Virginia, where independent Sen. Joe Manchin decided not to seek re-election; and Democratic incumbent Sherrod Brown faces a tough race in Ohio. If Republicans win both races, it would wipe out Democrats' current 51-49 lead in the Senate.

8pm ET: Polls are completely closed in 16 states, including Pennsylvania

This will be a defining moment in the presidential race. Whoever wins Pennsylvania's 19 electoral votes has a much better chance of winning the White House, a fact both candidates acknowledged as they held numerous campaign events in the state.

“If we win Pennsylvania, we win the whole thing,” Trump said at a rally in September. “It’s very simple.”

Pennsylvania will also host some of the most competitive congressional elections in the country. If it's a good night for Republicans, they could flip the seat of incumbent Democratic Sen. Bob Casey, who is running against former hedge fund CEO Dave McCormick.

But if Democrats have a particularly strong evening, they could set their sights on Florida, where final polls close at 8 p.m. ET. Adding to Harris' long-standing hopes of flipping a state Trump won twice, Democrat Debbie Mucarsel-Powell is trying to oust Republican Sen. Rick Scott, who had a poll advantage in the race. A surprise Mucarsel-Powell victory could allow Democrats to retain their majority in the Senate.

8:30 p.m. ET: Polls closed in Arkansas

There won't be much tension in Arkansas because Trump is expected to easily win the Republican-solid state. While Arkansas is the only state where polls close at 8:30 p.m. ET, most Americans' attention will be on the results coming in from the battleground states by that point in the night.

9pm ET: Polls are completely closed in 15 states, including Michigan and Wisconsin

This will be the defining moment for Harris. Trump's ability to win narrow victories in the blue wall states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin propelled him to the White House in 2016, but four years later Biden won all three battlegrounds.

Harris' most likely path to 270 electoral votes this year is through Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, meaning Trump could secure a second term if he can win even one of those states.

Michigan and Wisconsin will also play potentially crucial roles in the fight for Congress. Democrats currently hold two Senate seats in states up for election this year, and Republican victories in both races could give them a majority. Michigan's seventh congressional district, which became an open seat after Elissa Slotkin decided to run for Senate rather than seek re-election, has been described as “the most competitive open seat in the country.”

In New York, where polls also close at 9 p.m. ET, Democrats have the opportunity to flip several House seats that Republicans won in 2022. If successful, it could give Democrats a majority in the House of Representatives.

10 p.m. ET: Polls are completely closed in Nevada, Montana and Utah

Harris hopes to keep Nevada in her column because Democratic presidential candidates have won the state in every race since 2008. Trump previously led in polls in Nevada, but Harris has closed that gap in the final weeks of the race.

Two other Senate elections will also conclude at this point in the night. In Nevada, Democratic incumbent Jacky Rosen is favored to retain her seat, but in Montana, her fellow Democratic senator Jon Tester's prospects appear bleak.

If Republicans haven't already won a majority in the Senate by the end of the Montana election, this could be the moment they officially take control of the upper chamber.

11 p.m. ET: Polls are completely closed in four states, including California

While Harris is virtually guaranteed a win in her home state of California, the state's House elections have important implications for control of Congress. According to the Cook Political Report, five Republicans in the House of Representatives face a neck-and-neck race in California, making the state the best chance for Democrats to regain the House majority.

12pm ET: Polls are closed in Hawaii and most of Alaska

When the polls close in Hawaii and most of Alaska, Americans should have a much better idea of ​​who will move into the White House in January. But if 2020 is any indicator, the nation may have to wait a little longer before making a final decision on who won the presidential race.

In 2020, the AP did not declare Biden the winner of the presidential election until 11:26 a.m. ET on November 7 – four days after the first polls closed. And in 2016, it took until 2:29 a.m. ET the morning after Election Day to declare Trump the winner.

Considering how close the race for the White House is expected to be, Americans may have to prepare for a long night – or even a week – to find out who their next president is.