Polls close across the country on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and NPR has published an hour-by-hour guide to what to watch. The main caution: counting could take days or even weeks, and control of the Senate is likelier to stay uncertain than control of the House.
Why the Senate could take longer
House margins tend to be bigger, so control of that chamber may become clear sooner and is unlikely to come down to a single seat. The Senate is different, NPR says. Margins are tighter, seven states are especially competitive, and two states use ranked-choice voting, which can lengthen the count. Control of the Senate "very well could" come down to one seat.
Early evening (all times Eastern)
At 7 p.m., polls close in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, South Carolina, Virginia and Vermont. In Georgia, NPR says Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff is likely to defeat Republican Rep. Mike Collins, while the governor's race between Republican Rick Jackson and Democrat Keisha Lance Bottoms is tighter. Georgia's secretary of state says new laws require counties to report results within an hour of polls closing. South Carolina has an unexpectedly tight Senate race between Sen. Darline Graham and Democrat Annie Andrews.
At 7:30 p.m., North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia close. NPR calls North Carolina, where former Gov. Roy Cooper faces Michael Whatley, the most likely Democratic flip, and says Ohio's Senate race between Sen. Jon Husted and former Sen. Sherrod Brown is deadlocked. Ohio's governor's race pits Democrat Amy Acton against Republican Vivek Ramaswamy.
8 p.m. and later
More than half the country's polls close at 8 p.m., including Tennessee, Florida and Pennsylvania. NPR says early calls are possible in governor's races in Tennessee, Alabama and South Dakota for Republicans and several states for Democrats. Maine's Sen. Susan Collins faces a tough race against Democrat Troy Jackson. Florida will be the first test of its redrawn congressional map, and Pennsylvania's competitive House seats lean Democratic. New Hampshire's Senate race favors Democrat Chris Pappas over former Sen. John Sununu.
At 9 p.m., polls are closed in more than 80% of states, with attention turning to competitive Senate races in Iowa, Kansas, Michigan and Texas.
Sources: NPR