The results of the 2026 U.S. midterms will be announced gradually after the first batch of polling stations close at 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, which corresponds to 4:30 a.m. Wednesday according to Indian time. Indiana and parts of Kentucky will be among the first to announce their results.
Most areas of Florida, Georgia, and Virginia will close their polling stations at 7 p.m. Eastern Time (5:30 a.m. Indian Standard Time); Pennsylvania, Maine, as well as most parts of Michigan and Texas, will close at 8 p.m. Eastern Time (6:30 a.m. Indian Standard Time).
Arizona, Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin will close their polling stations at 9 p.m. Eastern Time (7:30 a.m. Indian Standard Time); California will close at 11 p.m. Eastern Time (9:30 a.m. Indian Standard Time); the last polling stations in western Alaska will close at 1 a.m. Eastern Time (11:30 a.m. Indian Standard Time).
Early vote counts are not the final results, as media outlets such as The Associated Press typically announce the winner of an election only when the lead is clear.
In addition, the mailing of ballots, as well as the ranked choice voting systems used in Alaska, Maine, California, Nevada, and Arizona, may result in the determination of closely contested election outcomes being delayed by several days. Therefore, control of Congress may not be decided on Election Night.
