What Time Do Polls Open on Election Day? 7 A.M. in Florida — and 7 P.M. Is the Close That Matters

The question is being asked millions of times today, in almost those exact words: what time do polls open on Election Day? In Florida the answer does not vary by county. Polls open Tuesday at 7 a.m. local time and close at 7 p.m. local time, and every voter who did not cast a ballot during early voting must vote in person at their assigned precinct — the early-voting freedom to use any site in the county ended Sunday. A valid photo and signature identification is required at check-in, and anyone already in line at the 7 p.m. close is permitted to vote.

Nationally, the hours are a patchwork, which is why the search spikes. The Sun's Election Eve guide puts most polling places opening between 6 and 7 a.m. and closing between 7 and 8 p.m. — Georgia matches Florida at 7 to 7, Ohio runs 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., New York runs 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. — and Florida's two time zones mean statewide reporting continues after the Panhandle's polls close at 8 p.m. Eastern. The assigned-place rule is the other half of the search: a polling place is set by a voter's home address, and turning up at the nearest building rather than the assigned one is the most common Election Day mistake.

For Miami-Dade, the practical checklist from this desk's verified files is short. Check the assigned precinct before leaving — 19 precincts have temporarily moved for Tuesday, and the county published the new locations. A mail ballot still at home cannot be dropped at a precinct; it must be received by 7 p.m. at Elections Headquarters in Doral or the Downtown Branch Office. And with a Level 1 flood risk hanging over Tuesday from the Space Coast to Miami, the morning line is the drier bet — polls open at 7, and the first hour is rarely the longest wait.