2003 Poll Closing Times - Chronologically

The Green Papers
2003 Poll Closing Times
Chronologically

	UTC	Eastern	Central	Mountain	Pacific	Alaska	Hawaii
0400 UTC - 6 November 2003
Hawaii	0400 UTC	11:00p EST	10:00p CST	9:00p MST	8:00p PST	7:00p AKST 6:00p ALST	6:00p HIST
0000 UTC - 6 November 2003
Texas (CDT) ^*2	0000 UTC	8:00p EDT 7:00p EST	7:00p CDT	6:00p MDT 5:00p MST	5:00p PDT	4:00p AKDT 3:00p ALDT	2:00p HIST
0100 UTC - 6 November 2003
Texas (MDT) ^*2	0100 UTC	9:00p EDT 8:00p EST	8:00p CDT	7:00p MDT 6:00p MST	6:00p PDT	5:00p AKDT 4:00p ALDT	3:00p HIST
2200 UTC - 5 November 2003
Kentucky (EDT) ^*2	2200 UTC	6:00p EDT 5:00p EST	5:00p CDT	4:00p MDT 3:00p MST	3:00p PDT	2:00p AKDT 1:00p ALDT	12:00p HIST
2300 UTC - 5 November 2003
Kentucky (CDT) ^*2	2300 UTC	7:00p EDT 6:00p EST	6:00p CDT	5:00p MDT 4:00p MST	4:00p PDT	3:00p AKDT 2:00p ALDT	1:00p HIST
0000 UTC - 6 November 2003
Texas	0000 UTC	8:00p EDT 7:00p EST	7:00p CDT	6:00p MDT 5:00p MST	5:00p PDT	4:00p AKDT 3:00p ALDT	2:00p HIST
Mississippi	0000 UTC	8:00p EDT 7:00p EST	7:00p CDT	6:00p MDT 5:00p MST	5:00p PDT	4:00p AKDT 3:00p ALDT	2:00p HIST
Mississippi	0000 UTC	8:00p EDT 7:00p EST	7:00p CDT	6:00p MDT 5:00p MST	5:00p PDT	4:00p AKDT 3:00p ALDT	2:00p HIST
0100 UTC - 6 November 2003
Louisiana	0100 UTC	9:00p EDT 8:00p EST	8:00p CDT	7:00p MDT 6:00p MST	6:00p PDT	5:00p AKDT 4:00p ALDT	3:00p HIST
0300 UTC - 6 November 2003
California	0300 UTC	11:00p EDT 10:00p EST	10:00p CDT	9:00p MDT 8:00p MST	8:00p PDT	7:00p AKDT 6:00p ALDT	5:00p HIST
2300 UTC - 5 November 2003
Kentucky (EST) ^*2	2300 UTC	6:00p EST	5:00p CST	4:00p MST	3:00p PST	2:00p AKST 1:00p ALST	1:00p HIST
0000 UTC - 6 November 2003
Kentucky (CST) ^*2	0000 UTC	7:00p EST	6:00p CST	5:00p MST	4:00p PST	3:00p AKST 2:00p ALST	2:00p HIST
0100 UTC - 6 November 2003
Mississippi	0100 UTC	8:00p EST	7:00p CST	6:00p MST	5:00p PST	4:00p AKST 3:00p ALST	3:00p HIST
0200 UTC - 6 November 2003
Louisiana	0200 UTC	9:00p EST	8:00p CST	7:00p MST	6:00p PST	5:00p AKST 4:00p ALST	4:00p HIST
No activity
Alabama Alaska American Samoa Arizona Arkansas Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Guam Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Northern Marianas Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Puerto Rico Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Vermont Virgin Islands Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming	(no activity)

Notes

Polling places in states that span multiple time zones will close either synchronously or asynchronously.

(Note ^*1) With synchronized closing, all the polls close at the same GMT/UTC time. When polls close in the advanced local time zone, they will close one hour earlier in the lagging local time zone.
(Note ^*2) With asynchronous closing, the polls close at different GMT/UTC times in different parts of the state. Media outlets might decide to declare a winner before all the polls have closed.

Texas: Polls close asynchronously at 7:00p CDT (0000 UTC) / 7:00p MDT (0100 UTC). Only the area surrounding El Paso is in Mountain time- so the vast majority of the polls have closed in TX by 7 PM CDT.

Kentucky: Polls close asynchronously at 6:00p EDT (2200 UTC) / 6:00p CDT (2300 UTC). Poll closing time could be rather problematic in KENTUCKY. A large chunk of the state is in CDT [but the networks consider that "most of the polls have closed" in KENTUCKY by 6 PM EDT and so, if they can, project at the same time they project INDIANA]. CDT voters in KENTUCKY may note the networks' willingness/eagerness to project a winner as early as 6 PM EDT.

Kentucky: Polls close asynchronously at 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 CST [but the networks consider that "most of the polls have closed" in KENTUCKY by 6 PM EDT and so, if they can, project at the same time they project INDIANA]. CDT voters in KENTUCKY may note the networks' willingness/eagerness to project a winner as early as 6 PM EDT.

Time zone abbreviations

UCT: Universal Coordinated Time, Greenwich England
EST: Eastern Standard Time, UCT - 5 hours
EDT: Eastern Daylight Time, UCT - 4 hours
CST: Central Standard Time, UCT - 6 hours
CDT: Central Daylight Time, UCT - 5 hours
MST: Mountain Standard Time, UCT - 7 hours
MDT: Mountain Daylight Time, UCT - 6 hours
PST: Pacific Standard Time, UCT - 8 hours
PDT: Pacific Daylight Time, UCT - 7 hours
AKST: Alaska Standard Time, UCT - 9 hours
AKDT: Alaska Daylight Time, UCT - 8 hours
ALST: Aleution Standard Time, UCT - 10 hours
ALDT: Aleution Daylight Time, UCT - 9 hours
HIST: Hawaii Time, UCT - 10 hours
m: midnight
a: AM
p: PM