The Green Papers
2012 General Election Polling Hours
for Statewide offices and Congress

All Elections
Primary Elections
General Elections

related pages...
Primary Election Polling Closing Times Chronologically
General Election Polling Closing Times Alphabetically
General Election Polling Closing Times Chronologically


Alabama
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) to 7:00p CST (0100 UTC).
Alaska
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a AKST (1600 UTC) / 7:00a AleutST (1700 UTC) to 8:00p AKST (0500 UTC) / 8:00p AleutST (0600 UTC). Alaska Time covers most of the state except for the Aleutian Islands west of Umnak Island (approximately half of Aleutian Islands). The media considers Alaska's polls to close at 8 PM Alaska Time and, thus, considers the State "callable" after that hour.
American Samoa
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:00a ASST (1700 UTC) to 6:00p ASST (0500 UTC).
Arizona
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:00a MST (1300 UTC) to 7:00p MST (0200 UTC).
Arkansas
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:30a CST (1330 UTC) to 7:30p CST (0130 UTC).
California
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a PST (1500 UTC) to 8:00p PST (0400 UTC).
Colorado
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a MST (1400 UTC) to 7:00p MST (0200 UTC).
Connecticut
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:00a EST (1100 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC).
Delaware
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC).
District of Columbia
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC).
Florida
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) / 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) to 7:00p EST (0000 UTC) / 7:00p CST (0100 UTC). Relatively small portions of this state are in CT and so the vast majority of the polls are closed by the time indicated ET.
Georgia
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) to 7:00p EST (0000 UTC).
Guam
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a GUST (2100 UTC) to 8:00p GUST (1000 UTC).
Hawaii
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a HIST (1700 UTC) to 6:00p HIST (0400 UTC).
Idaho
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 8:00a MST (1500 UTC) / 8:00a PST (1600 UTC) to 8:00p MST (0300 UTC) / 8:00p PST (0400 UTC). Local option allows polling places to open at 7 AM. A sizable part of IDAHO is in PT but, as the MT section is the much more populated portion of the state, the networks consider that "most of the polls in IDAHO" are closed by 8 PM MT.
Illinois
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:00a CST (1200 UTC) to 7:00p CST (0100 UTC).
Indiana
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:00a EST (1100 UTC) / 6:00a CST (1200 UTC) to 6:00p EST (2300 UTC) / 6:00p CST (0000 UTC). Although a portion of this state is in CT, the majority of the polls are closed by the time indicated ET when the networks feel they can project.
Iowa
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) to 9:00p CST (0300 UTC).
Kansas
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:00a MST (1300 UTC) / 6:00a CST (1200 UTC) to 8:00p MST (0300 UTC) / 8:00p CST (0200 UTC). State law requires that polling places open at 7 AM and close at 7 PM on Election Day; however, the county may open the polls earlier and close them later. Polls must be open at least 12 continuous hours. They may open no earlier than 6 AM local time and close no later than 8 PM local time. Most polls in the State close at either 7 pm or 8 pm local time in the Central Time Zone by local option; the remaining polls in the Mountain Time Zone close at either 6 pm or 7 pm local time by local option. The time noted as the "official" poll closing time is the statutory poll closing time and is that at which the networks generally consider the polls in the State to have closed. In 2012, most polls will be closed by 7pm local time.
Kentucky
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:00a EST (1100 UTC) / 6:00a CST (1200 UTC) to 6:00p EST (2300 UTC) / 6:00p CST (0000 UTC). Poll closing time could be rather problematic in KENTUCKY. A large chunk of the state is in Central Time [but the networks consider that "most of the polls have closed" in KENTUCKY by 6 PM Eastern Time and so, if they can, project at the same time they project INDIANA]. Central Time voters in KENTUCKY may note the networks' willingness/eagerness to project a winner as early as 6 PM Eastern Time.
Louisiana
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 Open Primary/Congressional/Presidential. Polling hours 6:00a CST (1200 UTC) to 8:00p CST (0200 UTC).
Maine
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:00a EST (1100 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC). Voting places open between 6:00a Eastern Time and 10:00a Eastern Time depending on the size of the town.
Maryland
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC).
Massachusetts
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC). By local option, municipalities may open their polls as early as 5:45 a.m.
Michigan
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election and Special Election House CD 11. Polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) / 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC) / 8:00p CST (0200 UTC). Relatively small portions of this state are in Central Time and so the vast majority of the polls are closed by the time indicated Eastern Time, when the networks feel they can project.
Minnesota
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) to 8:00p CST (0200 UTC). Voting begins at 10:00 AM in some townships.
Mississippi
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) to 7:00p CST (0100 UTC).
Missouri
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:00a CST (1200 UTC) to 7:00p CST (0100 UTC).
Montana
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a MST (1400 UTC) to 8:00p MST (0300 UTC). A polling place with less than 400 registered voters must be open at least from noon to 8 p.m. or until all registered electors have voted.
Nebraska
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 8:00a CST (1400 UTC) / 7:00a MST (1400 UTC) to 8:00p CST (0200 UTC) / 7:00p MST (0200 UTC). The polls open and close at the same GMT/UTC time, that is, polls open and close at a particular local time in the advanced time zone and open and close one hour earlier local time in the lagging time zone.
Nevada
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a PST (1500 UTC) to 7:00p PST (0300 UTC).
New Hampshire
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:00a EST (1100 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC). Polls must open by 11 AM however most open between 7 AM and 8 AM. NEW HAMPSHIRE permits its 13 cities to keep their polls open until 8 PM Eastern Time by local option- however, as there ARE only 13 cities among New Hampshire's 234 County subdivisions [the 221 "non-cities", of course, being the proverbial New England Town(ship)], the fact is that the vast majority of NH's polls have closed by 7 PM Eastern Time and the networks have no problem considering this hour as the earliest hour of potential projection.
New Jersey
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:00a EST (1100 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC).
New Mexico
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a MST (1400 UTC) to 7:00p MST (0200 UTC).
New York
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:00a EST (1100 UTC) to 9:00p EST (0200 UTC).
North Carolina
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:30a EST (1130 UTC) to 7:30p EST (0030 UTC). In extraordinary circumstances, the county board of elections may direct that the polls remain open until 8:30 p.m.
North Dakota
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) / 7:00a MST (1400 UTC) to 9:00p CST (0300 UTC) / 9:00p MST (0400 UTC). Voting places open between 7:00a to 12:00n and remain open until 7:00p to 9:00p depending on the size of the town. The western half of the state is in Mountain Time but that is, of course, the more sparsely populated part of the state, so it is not as problematic to the networks as might be otherwise suggested by simple geography. In 2012, polls will close at 8pm CST in Cass County and at 7pm CST or 7pm MST in most other polling places.
Northern Marianas
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a MPST (2100 UTC) to 7:00p MPST (0900 UTC).
Ohio
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:30a EST (1130 UTC) to 7:30p EST (0030 UTC).
Oklahoma
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) to 7:00p CST (0100 UTC).
Oregon
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polls close 8:00p MST (0300 UTC) / 8:00p PST (0400 UTC). Oregon votes by mail. Ballots must be in the hands of election workers or in an official drop-off location no later than 8 PM local time. OREGON is the reverse of the norm because the by far largest portion of the state is in the lagging time zone and the networks have no choice but to not consider the OREGON polls closed until 8 PM Pacific.
Pennsylvania
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC).
Puerto Rico
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 9:00a AST (1300 UTC) to 5:00p AST (2100 UTC).
Rhode Island
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC). Polls open 7a to 9a by location.
South Carolina
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a EST (1200 UTC) to 7:00p EST (0000 UTC).
South Dakota
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) / 7:00a MST (1400 UTC) to 7:00p CST (0100 UTC) / 7:00p MST (0200 UTC).
Tennessee
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 8:00a EST (1300 UTC) / 8:00a CST (1400 UTC) to 8:00p EST (0100 UTC) / 7:00p CST (0100 UTC). The polls close at the same GMT/UTC time, that is, polls close at a particular local time in the advanced time zone and close one hour earlier local time in the lagging time zone. Poll opening times are set by county.
Texas
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) / 7:00a MST (1400 UTC) to 7:00p CST (0100 UTC) / 7:00p MST (0200 UTC). Only the area around El Paso is in Mountain Time, so the vast majority of polls have closed in Texas by 7 PM Central Time.
Utah
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a MST (1400 UTC) to 8:00p MST (0300 UTC).
Vermont
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 5:00a EST (1000 UTC) to 7:00p EST (0000 UTC). Polls may open as early as 5:00a and no later than 10:00a as set by the Board of Civil Authority.
Virgin Islands
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a VIST (1100 UTC) to 7:00p VIST (2300 UTC).
Virginia
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:00a EST (1100 UTC) to 7:00p EST (0000 UTC).
Washington
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a PST (1500 UTC) to 8:00p PST (0400 UTC). Washington votes by mail. Ballots must be postmarked on or before Election Day, or dropped off in a designated ballot box by 8 p.m. local time on Election Day.
West Virginia
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 6:30a EST (1130 UTC) to 7:30p EST (0030 UTC).
Wisconsin
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a CST (1300 UTC) to 8:00p CST (0200 UTC).
Wyoming
·Tuesday 6 November 2012 General Election. Polling hours 7:00a MST (1400 UTC) to 7:00p MST (0200 UTC).

Time zone abbreviations


UTC: Coordinated Universal Time (Greenwich England)
AST: Atlantic Standard Time, UTC - 4 hours
EST: Eastern Standard Time, UTC - 5 hours
EDT: Eastern Daylight Time, UTC - 4 hours
CST: Central Standard Time, UTC - 6 hours
CDT: Central Daylight Time, UTC - 5 hours
MST: Mountain Standard Time, UTC - 7 hours
MDT: Mountain Daylight Time, UTC - 6 hours
PST: Pacific Standard Time, UTC - 8 hours
PDT: Pacific Daylight Time, UTC - 7 hours
AKST: Alaska Standard Time, UTC - 9 hours
AKDT: Alaska Daylight Time, UTC - 8 hours
ALST: Aleution Standard Time, UTC - 10 hours
ALDT: Aleution Daylight Time, UTC - 9 hours
HIST: Hawaii Time, UTC - 10 hours
MPST: Northern Marianas Time, UTC + 10 hours
GUST: Guam Time, UTC + 10 hours
VIST: Virgin Islands Time, UTC - 4 hours
ASST: American Samoa Time, UTC - 11 hours
m: midnight
a: AM
p: PM

 
 


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