As Election Night in America unfolds, the results will be determined following the sun and poll closing times from East to West. The outcome of the races will become clearer as data becomes available, with some noncompetitive states possibly being projected shortly after their polls close, while others may take hours.
The electoral map is positioned in a way that could see the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump, gaining electoral votes rapidly after early poll closings, especially if there are early projections for populous red states like Florida and Ohio. On the other hand, the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, may see significant support from states with later poll closing times, such as California and New York. A candidate needs at least 270 electoral votes to win the 2024 presidential election.
Here's a breakdown of when polls close and the key electoral votes at stake each hour:
7 p.m. ET: Polls close in the first six states, including the battleground of Georgia with 16 electoral votes. It may take some time to project winners in these states, with Georgia's secretary of state mentioning that a significant portion of votes could be counted by 8 p.m. due to early voting and mail-in ballot processing.
7:30 p.m. ET: Polls close in North Carolina, another battleground state, as well as two red states.
8:30 p.m. ET: Arkansas, with six electoral votes likely to support Trump, closes its polls. This marks the halfway point in terms of states closing their polls.
9 p.m. ET: Polls close in 15 states, including key battlegrounds like Arizona, Michigan, and Wisconsin, as well as populous states such as Texas and New York.
10 p.m. ET: Three states, including the final battleground state of Nevada, close their polls.
11 p.m. ET: Polls close in four states, including Democratic strongholds like California, Oregon, and Washington.
12 a.m. ET and 1 a.m. ET: The final polls close in Hawaii at midnight and in Alaska at 1 a.m., representing a blue and red state respectively.
