US Midterm Elections 2026: Polls Open On Super Tuesday, Here's Voting, Counting & Results Schedule In IST

Polling stations opened across the United States on Tuesday (November 3) as Americans began voting in the 2026 US midterm elections, a crucial political contest that will determine which party controls Congress for the remaining two years of President Donald Trump's term.

The elections will see all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate go to polls. The results are being closely watched as a major electoral test for Trump and his Republican Party.

For Indian viewers following the elections, polling will continue overnight, with the first voting stations opening on Tuesday afternoon and the final ones expected to close on Wednesday morning (November 4), according to Indian Standard Time (IST).

When Did Polling Begin In The US?

Polling schedules vary across states and, in some cases, between counties within the same state. The first polling locations in Vermont opened at around 3:30 pm IST on Tuesday. Some locations in Massachusetts followed at approximately 4:15 pm, while polling began in Virginia, Connecticut and New York around 4:30 pm.

Voting started in Georgia and Florida at around 5:30 pm, followed by Texas at approximately 6:30 pm IST.

When Will Polling End?

Polling stations will close in phases across different time zones. The first locations in Indiana and eastern Kentucky are expected to close around 4:30 am IST on Wednesday.

Voting will conclude in Georgia, Virginia and South Carolina around 5:30 am, followed by North Carolina and Ohio at 6 am. Polls in Pennsylvania, most of Texas, Florida and Michigan will close around 6:30 am.

New York, Arizona, Wisconsin and Iowa will complete polling around 7:30 am, while California, Washington and most of Oregon will see voting end around 9:30 am. The final polling stations in Alaska's Aleutian Islands are expected to close around 11:30 am IST.

When Will Counting Begin And Results Emerge?

Vote counting will begin as polling stations close, with preliminary trends expected to emerge from around 5:30 am IST on Wednesday.

However, counting procedures differ across states, particularly regarding postal and early ballots. Consequently, initial leads may change as more votes are counted.

While early results are expected on Wednesday morning, the final outcome may take several days. Closely contested races could delay the determination of which party controls Congress. In 2024, it took eight days to establish control of the House of Representatives.

In Alaska, a Senate race requiring additional rounds of ranked-choice counting could see the next round scheduled for November 18.

Published on: Tuesday, November 03, 2026, 05:13 PM IST