§ 10242 Poll Operating Hours

• •Polling places must be open for at least eight continuous hours on election day.
• •The exact opening and closing times are set by the governing body and listed in the election notice.
• •Someone must announce out loud that the polls are open before any ballots are received.

A small town holds its mayoral election on a Tuesday. The town council decides the polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., which is eight hours.

On election day, someone at the voting site loudly says, "The polls are now open," and then voters can start dropping off their ballots. The polls stay open for the full eight hours before closing.