2012 Poll Closing Times

[Odysseus]

The Green Papers
2012 Poll Closing Times
for Statewide offices and Congress
General Election Chronologically
Primary Elections Chronologically
6 November 2012 General Election Alphabetically
6 November 2012 General Election Chronologically

related pages...
Polling Hours All Elections
Polling Hours Primary Elections
Polling Hours General Elections

	UTC	Eastern	Central	Mountain	Pacific	Alaska	Hawaii
Tuesday 6 November 2012
Northern Marianas	0900 UTC	4:00a EST	3:00a CST	2:00a MST	1:00a PST	12:00a AKST
Guam	1000 UTC	5:00a EST	4:00a CST	3:00a MST	2:00a PST	1:00a AKST 12:00a AleutST	12:00a HIST
Puerto Rico	2100 UTC	4:00p EST	3:00p CST	2:00p MST	1:00p PST	12:00p AKST 11:00a AleutST	11:00a HIST
Virgin Islands	2300 UTC	6:00p EST	5:00p CST	4:00p MST	3:00p PST	2:00p AKST 1:00p AleutST	1:00p HIST
Indiana (EST) *A	2300 UTC	6:00p EST	5:00p CST	4:00p MST	3:00p PST	2:00p AKST 1:00p AleutST	1:00p HIST
Kentucky (EST) *A
Florida (EST) *A	0000 UTC	7:00p EST	6:00p CST	5:00p MST	4:00p PST	3:00p AKST 2:00p AleutST	2:00p HIST
Georgia
South Carolina
Vermont *S
Virginia
Indiana (CST) *A	0000 UTC	7:00p EST	6:00p CST	5:00p MST	4:00p PST	3:00p AKST 2:00p AleutST	2:00p HIST
Kentucky (CST) *A
North Carolina *S	0030 UTC	7:30p EST	6:30p CST	5:30p MST	4:30p PST	3:30p AKST 2:30p AleutST	2:30p HIST
Ohio
West Virginia
Connecticut	0100 UTC	8:00p EST	7:00p CST	6:00p MST	5:00p PST	4:00p AKST 3:00p AleutST	3:00p HIST
Delaware
District of Columbia
Maine *S
Maryland
Massachusetts *S
Michigan (EST) *A
New Hampshire *S
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island *S
Tennessee (EST) *S
Alabama	0100 UTC	8:00p EST	7:00p CST	6:00p MST	5:00p PST	4:00p AKST 3:00p AleutST	3:00p HIST
Florida (CST) *A
Illinois
Mississippi
Missouri
Oklahoma
South Dakota (CST) *A
Tennessee (CST) *S
Texas (CST) *A
Arkansas	0130 UTC	8:30p EST	7:30p CST	6:30p MST	5:30p PST	4:30p AKST 3:30p AleutST	3:30p HIST
New York	0200 UTC	9:00p EST	8:00p CST	7:00p MST	6:00p PST	5:00p AKST 4:00p AleutST	4:00p HIST
Kansas (CST) *A	0200 UTC	9:00p EST	8:00p CST	7:00p MST	6:00p PST	5:00p AKST 4:00p AleutST	4:00p HIST
Louisiana
Michigan (CST) *A
Minnesota *S
Nebraska (CST) *S
Wisconsin
Arizona	0200 UTC	9:00p EST	8:00p CST	7:00p MST	6:00p PST	5:00p AKST 4:00p AleutST	4:00p HIST
Colorado
Nebraska (MST) *S
New Mexico
South Dakota (MST) *A
Texas (MST) *A
Wyoming
Iowa	0300 UTC	10:00p EST	9:00p CST	8:00p MST	7:00p PST	6:00p AKST 5:00p AleutST	5:00p HIST
North Dakota (CST) *A
Idaho (MST) *A	0300 UTC	10:00p EST	9:00p CST	8:00p MST	7:00p PST	6:00p AKST 5:00p AleutST	5:00p HIST
Kansas (MST) *A
Montana *S
Oregon (MST) *A
Utah
Nevada	0300 UTC	10:00p EST	9:00p CST	8:00p MST	7:00p PST	6:00p AKST 5:00p AleutST	5:00p HIST
North Dakota (MST) *A	0400 UTC	11:00p EST	10:00p CST	9:00p MST	8:00p PST	7:00p AKST 6:00p AleutST	6:00p HIST
California	0400 UTC	11:00p EST	10:00p CST	9:00p MST	8:00p PST	7:00p AKST 6:00p AleutST	6:00p HIST
Idaho (PST) *A
Oregon (PST) *A
Washington *S
Hawaii	0400 UTC	11:00p EST	10:00p CST	9:00p MST	8:00p PST	7:00p AKST 6:00p AleutST	6:00p HIST
Alaska (AKST) *A	0500 UTC	12:00a EST	11:00p CST	10:00p MST	9:00p PST	8:00p AKST 7:00p AleutST	7:00p HIST
American Samoa	0500 UTC	12:00a EST	11:00p CST	10:00p MST	9:00p PST	8:00p AKST 7:00p AleutST	7:00p HIST
Alaska (AleutST) *A	0600 UTC	1:00a EST	12:00a CST	11:00p MST	10:00p PST	9:00p AKST 8:00p AleutST	8:00p HIST

Just for everyone's convenience, I've bolded the swing states.

[Rockntractor]

Of course if this is inconvenient for any minorities or Democrat special interest groups I'm sure we can change it at the last minute.

[noonwitch]

Most of Michigan is done at 8 pm EST. There's a corner of the UP that is in the central time zone, so our official time is 9 pm EST.


I'll go to bed when Ohio is called, unless it's called early. I have Bible study tomorrow night until 9, so it could all be over by the time I leave.

[djones520]

My shift ends at 1030 at night CST. So I'll be stuck here watching it all go down. I wonder if there will be a cheer/moan in the AOC once a winner is declared?

[Novaheart]

If Oregon holds things up again this year, they should be punished severely. I am tired of that kind of BS.

How come some states can have most or all of their stuff in by an hour after closing, but there are always these slow pokes we have to tolerate?

[SaintLouieWoman]

If Oregon holds things up again this year, they should be punished severely. I am tired of that kind of BS.

How come some states can have most or all of their stuff in by an hour after closing, but there are always these slow pokes we have to tolerate?

Ya just can't trust those blue states.

[TVDOC]

If Oregon holds things up again this year, they should be punished severely. I am tired of that kind of BS.

How come some states can have most or all of their stuff in by an hour after closing, but there are always these slow pokes we have to tolerate?

If I remember correctly, this is because Oregon doesn't actually have polls on election day, all of their voting is done by mail-in ballots, that can't be counted by machine (quickly).......happens every election.

doc

[Retread]

If I remember correctly, this is because Oregon doesn't actually have polls on election day, all of their voting is done by mail-in ballots, that can't be counted by machine (quickly).......happens every election.

doc

I know WA used to do that and still may but the fruits and nuts up there are so predictable that no one will pay that much attention anyway.

[Elspeth]

I hope you don't mind, but I am going to piggy back on this thread with something from the LA Times.

Election 2012: What to watch for as the polls close

All times are Pacific Standard Time. Add three hours if you're back East, two if central, one if mountain. Also, it's written by a left coast paper, so there's some bias, but the info is good.

....4 p.m. Virginia is the state to watch. A loss here would be a huge blow for Republican nominee Mitt Romney, who is counting on the state's 13 electoral votes as part of his path to the 270 it takes to win the White House. He needs to run up big margins in Hanover County (the Richmond suburbs), Campbell County (home to many religious conservatives) and the rural parts of the state.

President Obama's base is Richmond, with its large black population, and he needs to win big in the Washington suburbs of Arlington and Fairfax County. If either candidate underperforms in those areas, he's in trouble.

4:30 p.m. Polls close in three states, including Ohio and North Carolina. An Obama win in North Carolina could mean he would be headed for an electoral college blowout. But the state to watch is Ohio, which has emerged as the keystone of the campaign.

No Republican has ever won the White House without Ohio, and Romney desperately needs its 18 electoral votes, unless he can pull off a huge upset in Pennsylvania. Obama should run up big numbers in Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), and Romney will likely win big in the suburbs outside Cincinnati and parts of rural Ohio. The place to watch is central Ohio, centered around the Columbus media market. If Obama wins there, he will probably win the state and, quite possibly, the White House along with it.



5 p.m. The polls close in 16 states and the District of Columbia. Two of them are battlegrounds, Florida and New Hampshire. Florida, as most remember, was the decider after six tortuous weeks in 2000, and it remains preeminent among swing states. It has by far the biggest cache of electoral votes -- 29 -- among this year's battleground states.

Simply put, if Romney loses Florida, it's virtually impossible to see how he wins the White House. He needs a big vote in Escambia County in the state's conservative “Redneck Riviera” (it's a military stronghold as well) and Collier County, home to Naples and a large population of Midwestern retirees. The president needs a big vote in southeastern Florida, especially Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. As always, the fight will likely come down to the nine counties along the Interstate 4 corridor between Orlando and Tampa, including Orange, Polk, Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties

In New Hampshire, Romney needs to win big in the two largest counties, Hillsborough (which includes Manchester and surrounding communities, and Nashua) and Rockingham. Both counties border Massachusetts, and voters there are quite familiar with Romney from his years as the Bay State’s governor. Obama needs a strong showing in the city of Manchester, which traditionally leans Democratic, to pick up the state's four electoral votes.



6 p.m. Polls close in 14 states, including Wisconsin and Colorado. No Republican has won Wisconsin since 1984, and a victory here for Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul D. Ryan of Janesville, would give them 10 electoral votes and signal trouble for Obama.

The president should win by substantial margins in Dane County, home to the University of Wisconsin, as well as the city of Milwaukee. Romney's strength is the Milwaukee suburbs. The key will be the northern part of the state. If Romney is up by 10 or more points in the Fox Valley, which includes Oshkosh and Appleton, that's good for the Republicans. If Obama can hold down Romney's margin, he should carry the state.

In Colorado, Romney should run strongly in the counties of Weld (Greeley), Mesa (Grand Junction), El Paso (Colorado Springs, home of the Christian organization Focus on the Family) and Douglas. (The latter is midway between Colorado Springs and Denver.) Obama is expected to run up big vote totals in Denver, Pueblo (which has a sizable Latino population) and Boulder, home to the University of Colorado and its large student and liberal populations.

The race will likely come down to Jefferson County, a Denver suburb with large numbers of independent and fiscally conservative, socially moderate voters.

7 p.m. Polls close in four states, including Nevada — a one-time battleground that seems to have settled in Obama's column — and Iowa, the last of the true tossups.

Western Iowa, especially the area around Sioux City, is the conservative heartland, and Romney should clean up. For Obama, the challenge is running up the numbers in and around Des Moines. the area around the University of Iowa in Iowa City, and Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Waterloo and Dubuque. The winner gets Iowa's six electoral votes, which could be crucial if the results in the electoral college are tight....

[Elspeth]

Exit polls re: Drudge:

EXIT POLLS: RACE TIGHT
R: NC, FL
O: OH, NH, PA, MI, NV
TOSS UP: VA, CO, IA