US election results time: When will midterm polls winners be declared on Tuesday night? Check exact timings of announcement

US midterm election day 2026 will be held on Tuesday and all eyes will be on results of polling for the upper and lower houses of the US Congess -- the Senate and the House of Representatives. While, official announcement may take hours after the polling closed and all the votes are counted, newsrooms across the US generally will call winners on Tuesday night. Surveys leading up to the November 3 polling showed that this is one of the country's most closely contested midterm election cycles in recent years.

US Election Results Timings

Newsrooms calling the winners will differ from state to state as polling closing timings will be different. The first calls will start soon after polls begin to close in the United States, first with Indiana and Kentucky at 6 p.m. (ET) (2300 GMT), and shortly after in Georgia, South Carolina, Vermont and Virginia at 7 p.m. (0000 GMT on November 4).

In certain races there may be an instant call if much of the voting has already taken place. However, some of Tuesday’s US midterm races may take weeks to clear recounts and court challenges.

Where to Watch US Midterm Elections Results?

US Midterm Elections Results 2026 can be watched on ABC News, CBS News, Fox, CNN and NBC News.

Who will Call Winners of US Midterm Elections 2026?

The AP, a nonprofit newsroom supported by member newspapers, has counted votes in every US election since 1848, working with a national network of reporters and election officials to verify results.

For the 2026 midterms, the AP said it would deploy more than 4,000 reporters at county election offices and local polling locations, gathering and providing data to the decision desks at ABC News, CBS News, Fox, CNN and NBC News. ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC also rely on research firm SSRS, which acquired exit-polling company Edison Research in 2025.

When making calls, the AP uses vote totals and estimates how many votes remain uncounted based on past voting patterns and early-vote data. It calls a race only when the trailing candidate cannot catch up.

Most television networks and digital outlets rely on two providers for vote counts: the Associated Press or election-data firm Decision Desk HQ. Some news outlets such as the Wall Street Journal and MS NOW will rely solely on the AP for race calls, while others like Fox News and CBS News will make their own projections based on the AP vote count, exit polls, early-vote totals and their own statistical modeling.