Who wins the 2024 election for United States president likely will come down to results in seven swing states.
Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina are the battleground states to watch in the race for U.S. president as Election Day polls close on Tuesday. Why? Because these are the states likely to deliver the Electoral College votes needed for the winning candidate to get a majority of 270.
The states, visited by Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump the most, stretch across four different time zones.
LIVE ELECTION COVERAGE BEGINS AT 3 P.M. CT IN THE PLAYER ABOVE.
Here's a look at when polls close across the seven battleground states:
Arizona
Polls in Arizona close at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CST. Arizona does not release votes until all precincts have reported or one hour after all polls are closed, whichever is first.
In 2020, The Associated Press first reported Arizona results at 10:02 p.m. ET on Nov. 3, Election Day, and declared Biden the winner at 2:51 a.m. ET on Nov. 4.
Georgia
Georgia's polls close at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CST. In 2020, the AP first reported Georgia results at 7:20 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the state's winner at 7:58 p.m. ET on Nov. 19, more than two weeks after Election Day.
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Michigan
Michigan covers two time zones, but polls in most of the state close at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CST, with the rest at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CST.
In 2020, the AP first reported Michigan results at 8:08 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the winner at 5:58 p.m. ET on Nov. 4.
Nevada
Polls in Nevada close at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CST. The state doesn't release results until the last person in line has voted, so there's usually been a wait between poll close and the first results.
In 2020, the AP first reported Nevada results at 11:41 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the winner at 12:13 p.m. ET on Nov. 7.
North Carolina
Polls in in North Carolina close at 7:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. CST. In 2020, the AP first reported results at 7:42 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Trump the winner at 3:49 p.m. ET on Nov. 13.
Pennsylvania
Polls in Pennsylvania close at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CST in a state with more electoral votes at 19 than any of the battlegrounds.
In 2020, the AP first reported results at 8:09 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the winner at 11:25 a.m. ET on Nov. 7.
Wisconsin
Polls in Wisconsin close at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CST. In 2020, the AP first reported Wisconsin results at 9:07 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and declared Biden the winner at 2:16 p.m. ET on Nov. 4.
Election results live map
How will you know who's winning the presidential election and how people voted?
To see how people around the country voted for the next United States president, NBC News' live election map is below.
