Election Day Is Tuesday, And Congress Faces A December 11 Funding Deadline Right After

Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, and voters across the states Poli Alert tracks will cast ballots in the 2026 midterms, with the first polls closing at 7 p.m. Eastern time.

According to the election tracking site Midterm Results Live, most polling places in Georgia and Virginia close at 7 p.m. Eastern, and so do most in Florida, though the Florida panhandle closes at 8 p.m. Eastern. North Carolina closes at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. Alabama, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia close at 8 p.m. Eastern, as do most polling places in Texas and Michigan. The El Paso area of Texas and the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan close an hour later. Louisiana and New York close at 9 p.m. Eastern, and California and Washington state close at 11 p.m. Eastern. Some counties keep different hours, so voters should confirm with their state or county election office. Voters who are already in line when polls close are generally still allowed to cast a ballot.

Totals reported on election night are unofficial. The tracking site said lopsided races are often called the same night, while close races and states that count mail ballots slowly can take days. A race is called when news organizations conclude that one candidate can no longer be caught. A result becomes official only after local and state officials certify it, which means signing off on the final count after every valid ballot has been checked.

Election Day is not the last big date on the calendar. Congress returns after the election for what is known as a lame duck session, the stretch between Election Day and the day newly elected members take office. In an October analysis, the law firm Holland & Knight said the current continuing resolution, a temporary law that keeps federal agencies funded at their current levels, expires December 11. If lawmakers do not pass new funding by then, a partial government shutdown is possible.

The firm listed other programs that run out around the same time. Extensions for surface transportation programs, including the Highway Trust Fund, and the authorization for the National Flood Insurance Program also expire December 11. Funding for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, known as TANF, and several health programs, including the Community Health Center Fund, expires December 31.

Two larger bills are still unfinished, according to the firm. The House passed its version of the annual defense policy bill in July, but the Senate has not brought it to the floor. Both chambers have farm bills, and the firm said a dispute over how much of the cost of SNAP, the federal food assistance program, would shift to states remains a major sticking point.

Voters can confirm their polling place and hours with their state or local election office, such as the Georgia secretary of state’s office or the Florida Division of Elections, before Election Day.

Dee Dee Henderson

Dee Dee Henderson is a Poli Alert journalist covering national politics, elections and the policies that hit closest to home for Black communities, from voting rights and the economy to the courts. She reports the facts first and isn't afraid to say what they mean, and her commentary pieces are clearly labeled as opinion. Her midterm coverage breaks down deadlines, ballot measures and the races that will decide who holds power in Washington.

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