Notes

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

• (Note ^*S) 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 ^*A) 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.

Alaska: Polls close asynchronously on Tuesday 24 August 2004 at 8:00p AKDT (0400 UTC) / 8:00p ALDT (0500 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.

Florida: Polls close asynchronously on Tuesday 31 August 2004 at 7:00p EDT (2300 UTC) / 7:00p CDT (0000 UTC). Relatively small portions of this state are in CDT and so the vast majority of the polls are closed by the time indicated EDT.

Idaho: Polls close asynchronously on Tuesday 25 May 2004 at 8:00p MDT (0200 UTC) / 8:00p PDT (0300 UTC). A sizable part of IDAHO is in PDT but, as the MDT 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 MDT.

Indiana: Polls close synchronously on Tuesday 4 May 2004 at 6:00p EST (2300 UTC) / 6:00p CDT (2300 UTC). During Daylight Savings Time, the Central Time portions of INDIANA go on Daylight Time while the Eastern Time portions remain on Standard Time, so that the whole State of INDIANA is on the same Time during the Summer.

Kansas: Polls close synchronously on Tuesday 3 August 2004 at 7:00p CDT (0000 UTC) / 6:00p MDT (0000 UTC). 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.

Kentucky: Polls close asynchronously on Tuesday 17 February 2004 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 EST and so, if they can, project at the same time they project INDIANA]. CST voters in KENTUCKY may note the networks' willingness/eagerness to project a winner as early as 6 PM EST.

Kentucky: Polls close asynchronously on Tuesday 18 May 2004 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.

Michigan: Polls close asynchronously on Tuesday 3 August 2004 at 8:00p EDT (0000 UTC) / 8:00p CDT (0100 UTC). Relatively small portions of this state are in CDT and so the vast majority of the polls are closed by the time indicated EDT, when the networks feel they can project.

Nebraska: Polls close synchronously on Tuesday 11 May 2004 at 8:00p CDT (0100 UTC) / 7:00p MDT (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.

New Hampshire: Polls close asynchronously on Tuesday 14 September 2004 at 7:00p EDT (2300 UTC) / 8:00p EDT (0000 UTC). NEW HAMPSHIRE permits its 13 cities to keep their polls open until 8 PM EDT 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 EDT and the networks have no problem considering this hour as the earliest hour of potential projection.

North Carolina: Polls close asynchronously on Tuesday 20 July 2004 at 7:30p EDT (2330 UTC) / 8:30p EDT (0030 UTC). NORTH CAROLINA allows its County Boards of Elections to decide whether to keep polls open until 8:30 p.m. EDT but, outside of metropolitan areas, this local option is not often utilized and so 7:30 p.m. EDT is the networks' earliest time of projection beacuse the vast majority of that state's polls will have closed by that hour.

North Carolina: Polls close asynchronously on Tuesday 17 August 2004 at 7:30p EDT (2330 UTC) / 8:30p EDT (0030 UTC). NORTH CAROLINA allows its County Boards of Elections to decide whether to keep polls open until 8:30 p.m. EDT but, outside of metropolitan areas, this local option is not often utilized and so 7:30 p.m. EDT is the networks' earliest time of projection beacuse the vast majority of that state's polls will have closed by that hour.

North Dakota: Polls close asynchronously on Tuesday 8 June 2004 at 9:00p CDT (0200 UTC) / 9:00p MDT (0300 UTC). The western half of the state is in MDT 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.

Oregon: Polls close asynchronously on Tuesday 18 May 2004 at 8:00p PDT (0300 UTC) / 8:00p MDT (0200 UTC). 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 PDT.

South Dakota: Polls close synchronously on Tuesday 1 June 2004 at 8:00p CDT (0100 UTC) / 7:00p MDT (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.

Tennessee: Polls close synchronously on Thursday 5 August 2004 at 8:00p EDT (0000 UTC) / 7:00p CDT (0000 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.

Texas: Polls close asynchronously on Tuesday 9 March 2004 at 7:00p CST (0100 UTC) / 7:00p MST (0200 UTC). Only the area surrounding El Paso is in MST- so the vast majority of the polls have closed in TX by 7 PM CST.

Texas: Polls close asynchronously on Tuesday 13 April 2004 at 7:00p CDT (0000 UTC) / 7:00p MDT (0100 UTC). Only the area around El Paso is in MDT, so the vast majority of polls have closed in TX by 7 PM CDT

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