Here’s how election night will unfold hour by hour
Voters head into a polling location to cast their ballots in Atlanta
(CNN) — Election night in America will play out following the sun and poll closing times from East to West, generally speaking.
CNN projects who will win races as data becomes available.
While some noncompetitive states could be projected shortly after their polls close, others could take hours.
The map is situated so that former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, could see his side of the electoral vote count grow rapidly after early poll closings, particularly if there are earlier projections for more populous red states like Florida and Ohio.
Some of the biggest vote mines for Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, have polls that close later, including California and New York.
Here’s a look at when polls close and how many electoral votes are at stake each hour:
7 p.m. ET
Polls close statewide in the first six states, including the battleground of Georgia, which has 16 electoral votes. Who knows when there will be enough data to project a winner in any of these states.
It’s also important to note that polls in some parts of Indiana and Kentucky close earlier, at 6 p.m. ET. It will take some time for projections even in some more solidly red or blue states. Most polls also close in Florida at 7 p.m., but the panhandle closes at 8 p.m. and no statewide projections will occur before all polls close in a state.
Georgia’s secretary of state has said there up to 70% of votes could be counted by 8 p.m. because of early voting and pre-processing of mail-in ballots.
- 28 electoral votes lean toward Trump: Indiana, Kentucky and South Carolina
- 16 electoral votes lean toward Harris: Virginia and Vermont
- 16 toss-up votes: Georgia
7:30 p.m. ET
Polls close in another battleground, North Carolina, as well as two red states.
- 21 electoral votes lean toward Trump: Ohio and West Virginia
- 16 toss-up votes: North Carolina
Total votes with polls closed by 7:30 p.m. ET
- 49 lean toward Trump
- 16 lean toward Harris
- 32 toss-up
8 p.m. ET
Polls close in 17 states, including Pennsylvania, the most populous of the industrial “blue wall” states Trump is trying to take back from Democrats after winning them in 2016 and losing them in 2020. Most polls close in Michigan and Texas at this time, but some counties don’t close until 9 p.m.
- 74 electoral votes lean toward Trump: Oklahoma, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Maine’s 2nd Congressional District
- 78 electoral votes lean toward Harris: Illinois, Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Washington, DC
- 19 toss-up votes: Pennsylvania
Total votes with polls closed by 8 p.m. ET
- 123 lean toward Trump
- 94 lean toward Harris
- 51 toss-up
8:30 p.m. ET
Polls close in Arkansas, which has 6 electoral votes and is likely to support Trump. Polls will now be closed in half the states.
Total votes with polls closed by 8:30 p.m. ET
- 129 lean toward Trump
- 94 lean toward Harris
- 51 toss-up
9 p.m. ET
Polls close in 15 states, including the battlegrounds of Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin. Polls will also be closed in some of the most populous states, like Texas and New York.
- 73 electoral votes lean toward Trump, including Wyoming, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Texas and Louisiana
- 54 electoral votes lean toward Harris, including New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, New York and Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District
- 36 toss-up votes: Arizona, Wisconsin and Michigan
Total votes with polls closed by 9 p.m. ET
- 202 lean toward Trump
- 148 lean toward Harris
- 87 toss-up votes
10 p.m. ET
Polls close in three states, including the final battleground state, Nevada.
- 10 electoral votes lean toward Trump, including Utah and Montana
- 6 toss-up votes: Nevada
Total votes with polls closed by 10 p.m. ET
- 212 lean toward Trump
- 148 lean toward Harris
- 93 toss-up votes
11 p.m. ET
Polls close in four states, representing a likely haul of Democratic votes.
- 4 electoral votes lean toward Trump: Idaho
- 74 electoral votes lean toward Harris, including California, Oregon and Washington
Total votes with polls closed by 11 p.m. ET
- 216 lean toward Trump
- 222 lean toward Harris
- 93 toss-up votes
12 a.m. ET and 1 a.m. ET
The final polls close in the blue state of Hawaii at 12 a.m. ET and in the red state of Alaska at 1 a.m. ET.
- 3 electoral votes lean toward Trump in Alaska
- 4 electoral votes lean toward Harris votes in Hawaii
Total votes with polls closed by 1 a.m. ET
- 219 lean toward Trump
- 226 lean toward Harris
- 93 toss-up votes
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