Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
When Polls Close in Battleground States on Election Day
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 8 mins ago on
November 5, 2024

Seven battleground states hold the key to Election Day results, with polls closing at various times across four time zones. (AP/Matt York)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

WASHINGTON — The results on Election Day will come down to seven states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have visited them the most. Together, these states are likely to deliver the Electoral College votes needed for the winning candidate to get a majority of 270.

It will be a game of hopscotch to keep up with key times in each of the states, which stretch across four different time zones.

Arizona: A Crucial Swing State

A look at the Election Day timeline across the seven, with all listings in Eastern Standard Time:

Polls open at 8 a.m. in Arizona, which Joe Biden carried in 2020 by 0.3%. He was only the second Democratic presidential candidate to do so in nearly 70 years. Polls will close at 9 p.m.

Arizona does not release votes until all precincts have reported or one hour after all polls are closed, whichever is first.

In 2020, The Associated Press first reported Arizona results at 10:02 p.m. ET on Nov. 3, Election Day, and declared Biden the winner at 2:51 a.m. ET on Nov. 4.

Georgia: A Battleground with Legal Drama

Polls open at 7 a.m. in Georgia, which played a key role in 2020. Biden was the first Democrat in a White House race to carry the state since Bill Clinton in 1992, defeating Trump by less than one-quarter of a percentage point, a margin of 11,779 votes.

Since then, Trump’s efforts to overturn those results have been at the heart of a criminal case in Fulton County. It is on hold while his legal team pursues a pretrial appeal to have District Attorney Fani Willis removed from the case and the indictment tossed. The Georgia Court of Appeals will hear those arguments after the election.

Georgia’s polls close at 7 p.m.

In 2020, the AP first reported Georgia results at 7:20 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the state’s winner at 7:58 p.m. ET on Nov. 19, more than two weeks after Election Day.

Michigan: A Blue Wall State

Polls open at 7 a.m. ET in Michigan, one of the “blue wall” states that went narrowly for Trump in 2016 after almost 30 years of voting for Democratic candidates. Biden won it back four years later. His margin was about 154,000 votes out of more than 5.5 million votes.

Michigan covers two time zones, but polls in most of the state close at 8 p.m. ET, with the rest at 9 p.m. ET.

In 2020, the AP first reported Michigan results at 8:08 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the winner at 5:58 p.m. ET on Nov. 4.

Nevada: A Presidential Bellwether

Polls open at 10 a.m. ET in Nevada, the smallest electoral vote prize of the battlegrounds. But it has one of the best track records as a presidential bellwether. The candidate who won Nevada has gone on to win the White House in 27 of the past 30 presidential elections.

Polls close at 10 p.m. ET. The state doesn’t release results until the last person in line has voted, so there’s usually been a wait between poll close and the first results.

In 2020, the AP first reported Nevada results at 11:41 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the winner at 12:13 p.m. ET on Nov. 7.

North Carolina: A Competitive Battleground

Polls open at 6:30 a.m. ET in North Carolina, which has been carried by Democrats only two times in presidential elections since 1968. But the state has stayed competitive for both major parties. Trump’s 2020 victory in North Carolina, by about 1 percentage point, was his smallest winning margin in any state.

Polls close at 7:30 p.m. ET.

In 2020, the AP first reported results at 7:42 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Trump the winner at 3:49 p.m. ET on Nov. 13.

Pennsylvania: A Key Electoral Prize

Polls open at 7 a.m. ET in Pennsylvania, another “blue wall” state. Biden’s 2020 margin in Pennsylvania was about 80,000 votes out of more than 6.9 million votes. This year, it’s the spot where Harris and Trump met for the first time at their sole debate in September in Philadelphia.

Polls close at 8 p.m. ET in a state with more electoral votes, 19, than any of the battlegrounds.

In 2020, the AP first reported results at 8:09 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the winner at 11:25 a.m. ET on Nov. 7.

Wisconsin: A History of Close Elections

Polls open at 8 a.m. ET in Wisconsin, the third “blue wall” state in this group. Wisconsin is no stranger to close elections; the margin of victory in the state was less than 1 percentage point in 2020, 2016, 2004 and 2000.

Polls close at 9 p.m. ET.

In 2020, the AP first reported Wisconsin results at 9:07 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the winner at 2:16 p.m. ET on Nov. 4.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rallies on Election Day as Economy Remains Solid

DON'T MISS

When Polls Close in Battleground States on Election Day

DON'T MISS

Jason Kelce Apologizes for Fan Confrontation, Vows to ‘Treat People With Respect’

DON'T MISS

Curry’s Return Ignites Warriors in Victory Over Wizards

DON'T MISS

Could This Presidential Election Be Decided by the Supreme Court?

DON'T MISS

Former Fresno Businessman Todd Mumma Sentenced to 21 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

DON'T MISS

A Kamala Harris Quiz for Election Day

DON'T MISS

A Donald Trump Quiz for Election Day

DON'T MISS

CHP Car Struck by Drunk Driver While Investigating Another Crash

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Ejected From Car Dies Off McKinley Avenue

UP NEXT

When Polls Close in Battleground States on Election Day

UP NEXT

Jason Kelce Apologizes for Fan Confrontation, Vows to ‘Treat People With Respect’

UP NEXT

Curry’s Return Ignites Warriors in Victory Over Wizards

UP NEXT

Could This Presidential Election Be Decided by the Supreme Court?

UP NEXT

Former Fresno Businessman Todd Mumma Sentenced to 21 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

UP NEXT

A Kamala Harris Quiz for Election Day

UP NEXT

A Donald Trump Quiz for Election Day

UP NEXT

CHP Car Struck by Drunk Driver While Investigating Another Crash

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Ejected From Car Dies Off McKinley Avenue

UP NEXT

‘Leave It the Way It Is’: Off-Roaders, Hikers React to Proposal to Change 1.4M Acres of Sierra Forest

Curry’s Return Ignites Warriors in Victory Over Wizards

34 mins ago

Could This Presidential Election Be Decided by the Supreme Court?

35 mins ago

Former Fresno Businessman Todd Mumma Sentenced to 21 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

51 mins ago

A Kamala Harris Quiz for Election Day

5 hours ago

A Donald Trump Quiz for Election Day

5 hours ago

CHP Car Struck by Drunk Driver While Investigating Another Crash

16 hours ago

Fresno Man Ejected From Car Dies Off McKinley Avenue

16 hours ago

‘Leave It the Way It Is’: Off-Roaders, Hikers React to Proposal to Change 1.4M Acres of Sierra Forest

17 hours ago

Yankees Retain Cole, Add $36 Million Extension to Keep Ace

18 hours ago

5 Reasons Early Voting Is Overwhelmed With Falsehoods

19 hours ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rallies on Election Day as Economy Remains Solid

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks are rallying Tuesday as voters head to the polls on the last day of the presidential election and as more data piles ...

55 seconds ago

56 seconds ago

Stock Market Today: Wall Street Rallies on Election Day as Economy Remains Solid

8 mins ago

When Polls Close in Battleground States on Election Day

19 mins ago

Jason Kelce Apologizes for Fan Confrontation, Vows to ‘Treat People With Respect’

34 mins ago

Curry’s Return Ignites Warriors in Victory Over Wizards

The U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, on March 4, 2024. It is unlikely that the Supreme Court ends up playing a major role in the outcome of the 2024 election, according to elections experts, but it is possible. (Maansi Srivastava/The New York Times)
35 mins ago

Could This Presidential Election Be Decided by the Supreme Court?

Booking photo of Todd Eric Mumma
51 mins ago

Former Fresno Businessman Todd Mumma Sentenced to 21 Years for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

5 hours ago

A Kamala Harris Quiz for Election Day

trump
5 hours ago

A Donald Trump Quiz for Election Day

Search

Send this to a friend