Texas polls close at 7 p.m. on Election Day, and preliminary midterm results are expected to begin shortly after. The first results will be based on ballots cast during early voting, which usually makes up a large share of total votes. Election officials across the state will post unofficial results in rounds through the evening and into early Wednesday.
Official results will take longer. Election officials must combine ballots and follow a long list of procedures to make sure votes are counted accurately. After polls close, ballots from hundreds of voting locations in the largest counties will be taken to county election offices. Some large counties use substations for drop-offs, but most gather all ballots in one place before counting begins.
Counties with more than 100,000 residents may start counting received mail-in ballots after polls close on the last day of early voting. Smaller counties may begin counting on the morning of Election Day. Once counting starts, it cannot stop until it is finished. State law requires Election Day totals to be submitted to the state within 24 hours after polls close.