Polls open in the US: where and when Americans will vote
Kyiv • UNN
In the US, voting begins at polling stations across the country with different opening times by time zone. Weather conditions may affect voter turnout in some “contested” states due to heavy rains and storms.
On Tuesday, November 5, polling stations start opening across the US, UNN reports citing CNN.
Details
Millions of Americans have already voted early, but today, those who wish to vote in person will be able to do so, and polling stations are opening across the country:
6 AM ET (13:00 Kyiv time)
Connecticut
Indiana (polls open at 7 a.m. ET (14:00 Kyiv time))
Kentucky (Central time polling stations open at 7 a.m. ET (14:00 p.m.)
Maine (almost all polling places are open from 6 am to 8 am ET (1 pm to 3 pm), but municipalities with less than 500 people may be open until 10 am ET (5 pm)
New Hampshire (polls can open from 6 to 11 a.m. ET (1 to 6 p.m. ET) - Dixville Notch voted at midnight)
New Jersey
New York
Virginia
6:30 AM ET (13:30 Kyiv time)
Ohio
North Carolina
West Virginia
Vermont (polls can open at 5 a.m. ET (12:00 p.m.) and 10 a.m. ET (5:00 p.m.), but this year the earliest polls open is 6:30 a.m.)
7 a.m. ET (14:00 Kyiv time)
Alabama (some polling stations operate Eastern Time (ET) and open at 7 a.m. ET, but most polling stations operate Central time and open at 8 a.m. ET (15:00 p.m.).
Delaware
Washington, DC
Florida (Central time polls open at 8 a.m. ET (15:00 p.m.)
Georgia
Illinois
Kansas (some polling stations open at 8 a.m. ET (15:00 p.m.) due to time zones)
Maryland
Massachusetts (cities or towns can open as early as 5:45 a.m. ET (12: 45 p.m.)
Michigan (some polling stations open at 8 a.m. ET (15:00 p.m.)
Missouri
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee (polls with a population of more than 120,000 should open by 7 a.m. ET)
8 AM ET (15:00 Kyiv time)
Arizona
Iowa
Louisiana
Minnesota (municipalities with fewer than 500 registered voters can open polling stations no later than 11:00 AM ET (18:00 pm)
South Dakota (some polling stations open at 6 a.m. ET (13:00 p.m.) depending on the time zone)
North Dakota (polls may open from 8 to 11 a.m. ET (3 to 6 p.m. PT)
Oklahoma
Texas (some polling stations open at 8 a.m. ET and some at 9 a.m. ET (16:00 p.m.)
Wisconsin
When Americans vote today, they are not directly electing the presidential candidates themselves. Instead, they are voting for competing slates of "electors" who will, in turn, actually cast the votes for president and vice president on December 17. Collectively, the electors from all 50 states and the District of Columbia are called the "electoral college.
The presidential candidate who won the majority of the vote on election night will not necessarily win a seat in the White House. To win the presidential election, a candidate must win a majority of votes in the Electoral College.
Addendum
It is reported that on Election Day, some key "controversial" US states are hit by a powerful cold front, which brings heavy rains and severe storms.
The heaviest rain falls from East Texas to the Missouri-Illinois border, including St. Louis.
The front will continue to move eastward, bringing showers to Minnesota and the states of Wisconsin and Michigan, south to Louisiana. It was noted that the rains had slightly reduced voter turnout in previous elections.
Wisconsin appears to have the worst weather among the seven "contested" states, with the Storm Prediction Center issuing a severe storm threat level of 1 out of 5 for most of the state. Showers and even thunderstorms could produce isolated wind gusts and a brief tornado.
Heavy precipitation along the front today will fall from East Texas to southern Indiana, the newspaper writes.
