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 4 hours 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

Trump Snaps at Reporter When Asked About Abortion: ‘Stop Talking About That’

DON'T MISS

Soria Stumps Outside Polling Place. Was it Legal?

DON'T MISS

These California Toss-Ups May Decide Which Party Controls Congress

DON'T MISS

What We’ll Know and When We’ll Know It: A Guide to Election Night

DON'T MISS

Democratic Mayors in San Francisco and Oakland Fight to Keep Their Jobs on Election Day

DON'T MISS

These 8 Counties Could Hint at Where the Election Is Headed

DON'T MISS

Israel’s Netanyahu Dismisses Defense Minister in Surprise Announcement

DON'T MISS

Cryptocurrency Markets, Promoted by Trump, Brace for Election Volatility

DON'T MISS

Trump, Vance and Allies Hurl Insults at Women as Race Ends

DON'T MISS

NFL Trade Deadline: Lions Get Za’Darius Smith, Cowboys Add Jonathan Mingo

UP NEXT

Soria Stumps Outside Polling Place. Was it Legal?

UP NEXT

These California Toss-Ups May Decide Which Party Controls Congress

UP NEXT

What We’ll Know and When We’ll Know It: A Guide to Election Night

UP NEXT

Democratic Mayors in San Francisco and Oakland Fight to Keep Their Jobs on Election Day

UP NEXT

These 8 Counties Could Hint at Where the Election Is Headed

UP NEXT

Israel’s Netanyahu Dismisses Defense Minister in Surprise Announcement

UP NEXT

Cryptocurrency Markets, Promoted by Trump, Brace for Election Volatility

UP NEXT

Trump, Vance and Allies Hurl Insults at Women as Race Ends

UP NEXT

NFL Trade Deadline: Lions Get Za’Darius Smith, Cowboys Add Jonathan Mingo

UP NEXT

Palestinians in Gaza Fear Neither Candidate in US Election Will Help Them

What We’ll Know and When We’ll Know It: A Guide to Election Night

2 hours ago

Democratic Mayors in San Francisco and Oakland Fight to Keep Their Jobs on Election Day

2 hours ago

These 8 Counties Could Hint at Where the Election Is Headed

2 hours ago

Israel’s Netanyahu Dismisses Defense Minister in Surprise Announcement

2 hours ago

Cryptocurrency Markets, Promoted by Trump, Brace for Election Volatility

2 hours ago

Trump, Vance and Allies Hurl Insults at Women as Race Ends

3 hours ago

NFL Trade Deadline: Lions Get Za’Darius Smith, Cowboys Add Jonathan Mingo

3 hours ago

Palestinians in Gaza Fear Neither Candidate in US Election Will Help Them

3 hours ago

Pennsylvania Election Officials Weighing in on Challenges to 4,300 Mail Ballot Applications

4 hours ago

Ukrainian Troops Have Engaged With North Korean Units for the 1st Time in Russia, an Official Says

4 hours ago

Trump Snaps at Reporter When Asked About Abortion: ‘Stop Talking About That’

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Donald Trump is refusing to say how he voted on Florida’s abortion measure — and getting testy about it. The former...

19 mins ago

Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks as former first lady Melania Trump listens after they voted on Election Day at the Morton and Barbara Mandel Recreation Center, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
19 mins ago

Trump Snaps at Reporter When Asked About Abortion: ‘Stop Talking About That’

56 mins ago

Soria Stumps Outside Polling Place. Was it Legal?

1 hour ago

These California Toss-Ups May Decide Which Party Controls Congress

Residents vote early in Dearborn, Mich., Nov. 3, 2024. Like in 2020, the vote count will still feature “blue mirages” or “red mirages,” in which one candidate builds a fleeting lead simply because mail or Election Day ballots are counted first. (Nick Hagen/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

What We’ll Know and When We’ll Know It: A Guide to Election Night

2 hours ago

Democratic Mayors in San Francisco and Oakland Fight to Keep Their Jobs on Election Day

Residents vote early in Dearborn, Mich., Nov. 3, 2024. While the nation awaits statewide results after the polls close on Election Day, a number of counties could provide hints on where the race is headed. (Nick Hagen/The New York Times)
2 hours ago

These 8 Counties Could Hint at Where the Election Is Headed

2 hours ago

Israel’s Netanyahu Dismisses Defense Minister in Surprise Announcement

2 hours ago

Cryptocurrency Markets, Promoted by Trump, Brace for Election Volatility

Search

Send this to a friend