Table 6.5

Polling Hours: General Elections


FIPS State or other
jurisdiction
Polls open Polls close Notes on hours (a)
01Alabama7 a.m.7 p.m.Polling places located in the Eastern Time Zone may be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. ET.
02Alaska7 a.m.8 p.m.
04Arizona6 a.m.7 p.m.
05Arkansas7:30 a.m.7:30 p.m.
06California7 a.m.8 p.m.California votes by mail. Hours are for those who choose to vote in person on election day.
08Colorado7 a.m.7 p.m.Colorado votes by mail. Hours are for those who choose to vote in person on election day.
09Connecticut6 a.m.8 p.m.
10Delaware7 a.m.8 p.m.
12Florida7 a.m.7 p.m.
13Georgia7 a.m.7 p.m.
15Hawaii7 a.m.7 p.m.Hawaii votes by mail. Hours are for those who choose to vote in person on election day.
16Idaho8 a.m.8 p.m.Clerk has the option of opening all polls at 7 a.m. Idaho is in two time zones - MT and PT.
17Illinois6 a.m.7 p.m.
18Indiana6 a.m.6 p.m.For those counties on Central time, polling places will observe these times in Central time.
19Iowa7 a.m.8 p.m.
20Kansas7 a.m.7 p.m.Counties may open the polls earlier and close them later. Some western counties are in the Mountain Time Zone.
21Kentucky6 a.m.6 p.m.Counties may be either in Eastern or Central Time Zones.
22Louisiana6 a.m.8 p.m.On Saturday elections, polls open at 7 a.m.
23MaineBetween 6 and 10 a.m.8 p.m.Applicable opening time depends on variables related to the size of the precinct.
24Maryland7 a.m.8 p.m.
25Massachusetts7 a.m.8 p.m.Some municipalities may open their polls as early as 5:45 a.m.
26Michigan7 a.m.8 p.m.Eastern Time Zone and Central Time Zone
27Minnesota7 a.m.8 p.m.A few polling places in small townships located outside the 11-county metropolitan area may open as late as 10 a.m.
28Mississippi7 a.m.7 p.m.
29Missouri6 a.m.7 p.m.
30Montana7 a.m.8 p.m.A polling place having fewer than 400 registered electors must be open from at least noon to 8 p.m. or until all registered electors in any precinct have voted, at which time that precinct in the polling place must be closed immediately.
31Nebraska7 a.m. MT/8 a.m. CT7 p.m. MT/8 p.m. CT
32Nevada7 a.m.7 p.m.Nevada votes by mail. Hours are for those who choose to vote in person on election day.
33New HampshireNo later than 11 a.m.No earlier than 7 p.m.Polling hours vary from town to town.
34New Jersey6 a.m.8 p.m.
35New Mexico7 a.m.7 p.m.
36New York6 a.m.9 p.m.
37North Carolina6:30 a.m.7:30 p.m.
38North DakotaBetween 7 and 9 a.m.Between 7 and 9 p.m.Polling locations cannot open earlier than 7 a.m. and must be open by 9 a.m., with the exception of those precincts in which fewer than 75 votes were cast in the last General Election, which must open no later than noon. All polling locations must remain open until 7 p.m. and close no later than 9 p.m.
39Ohio6:30 a.m.7:30 p.m.
40Oklahoma7 a.m.7 p.m.
41OregonN.A.N.A.Oregon votes by mail. Official dropsites open eight hours or more and until 8 p.m. for depositing cast ballots. County Clerks office open 7 a.m. - 8 p.m. for issuing and depositing ballots
42Pennsylvania7 a.m.8 p.m.
44Rhode IslandBetween 7 and 9 a.m8 p.m.Polls open at 9 a.m. in special elections.
45South Carolina7 a.m.7 p.m.
46South Dakota7 a.m.7 p.m.
47Tennessee8 a.m. (may be earlier)7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ETPolling places must be open a minimum of ten continuous hours, but no more than 13 hours. In any county having a population of not less than 120,000, all polling places must open by 8 a.m., but nothing prevents an earlier opening time at the discretion of the county election commission.
48Texas7 a.m.7 p.m.
49Utah7 a.m.8 p.m.Utah votes by mail. Hours are for those who choose to vote in person on election day.
50VermontBetween 5 and 10 a.m.7 p.m.The opening time for polls is set by local boards of civil authority. Vermont votes by mail. Hours are for those who choose to vote in person on election day.
51Virginia6 a.m.7 p.m.
53WashingtonN.A.N.A.Washington votes by mail. The ballot must be postmarked no later than Election Day; or returned to a designated ballot drop box by 8 p.m. on Election Day; or returned in person to the county elections department by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
54West Virginia6:30 a.m.7:30 p.m.
55Wisconsin7 a.m.8 p.m.
56Wyoming7 a.m.7 p.m.
11Dist. of Columbia7 a.m.8 p.m.
60American Samoa6 a.m6 p.m.
66Guam7 a.m.8 p.m.
69CNMI*7 a.m.7 p.m.
72Puerto Rico9 a.m.5 p.m.
78U.S. Virgin Islands7 a.m.7 p.m.

Source:

The Council of State Governments and state websites, July 2022.

Notes:

Hours for primary, municipal and special elections may differ from those noted.

Key:

* Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands.
N.A. Not applicable.

Footnotes:

(a)

In all states, voters standing in line when the polls close are allowed to vote; however, provisions for handling those voters vary across jurisdictions.