AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Washington on Election Day

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington state voters are electing federal and state leaders and other officeholders. Here are some of the key facts about the election and data points the AP Decision Team will monitor as the votes are tallied on Tuesday:

When do polls close?

Polls close at 8 p.m. local time, which is 11 p.m. ET.

What’s on the ballot?

The Associated Press will provide vote results and declare winners in races for U.S. House, statewide ballot measures, state Supreme Court, state Senate and state House.

How many people voted in the last midterm election?

About 3 million votes were cast in Washington’s 2022 U.S. Senate race.

How much of the vote is cast early or by absentee ballot?

Washington conducts its elections almost entirely by mail. The latest advance vote totals for Washington state can be found in the AP’s advance vote tracker.

When are early and absentee votes released?

Almost all Washington counties report most or all of their early in-person and mail voting results in their first vote updates of the night, before any in-person Election Day results are released.

How long does vote counting usually take?

The first results of the 2024 general election were reported starting at 11:07 p.m., seven minutes after polls closed. The state reached 50% of votes reporting at 11:15 p.m. and 90% of votes reporting four days later, at 4:58 p.m. ET on Nov. 9.

When will the AP declare a winner?

The Associated Press does not make projections and will declare a winner only when it’s determined there is no scenario that would allow a trailing candidate to close the gap. If a race has not been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, such as candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear that it has not yet declared a winner and explain why.

How do recounts work?

Machine recounts in Washington state are automatic if the vote margin between the top two candidates is fewer than 2,000 votes and less than 0.5% of the total votes cast for both candidates. Manual recounts are required for statewide contests if the margin is fewer than 1,000 votes and less than 0.25% of the total votes cast for both candidates. For all other races, manual recounts are required when the margin is fewer than 150 votes and less than 0.25% of the total votes cast for both candidates. The AP may declare a winner in a race that is subject to a recount if it can determine the lead is too large for a recount or legal challenge to change the outcome.

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Follow the AP’s coverage of the 2026 election at https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/.