Election Day guide to poll closings and electoral votes

November 4, 12:58 PMPolitics RoundupJay Keller

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Updated: 11:19 p.m. ET

With Senator John McCain's concession speech, the picture is clear: Barack Obama is elected as the 44th President of the United States. As previously thought, a lot could happen quickly and it did. With Obama's early wins in Ohio and Pennsylvania, McCain's chances of winning the election grew slimmer by the hour. Nonetheless, the clear majority of 270 electoral votes have been achieved.

So, for the record, I'll keep this score card available as the polls finally close to review earlier predictions, analysis and potential electoral college pickups.

All times are in Eastern Standard time.

6 p.m.: Indiana, Kentucky
While Kentucky is heavily favored to go to the McCain/Palin camp, Indiana is a pure toss up at this point. Recent polls have this state leaning a bit towards the GOP. Obama: 0; McCain: 8; Open: 11

7 p.m.: Georgia, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, Eastern Florida
Polls in eastern Florida close at 7 p.m. but the western part of the state stay open for another hour. Moreover, Georgia and Virginia are too close to give away to any candidate as of Monday night. If McCain takes Virginia, a comeback could be in the works. If not, the night could be over fairly quickly. Virginia still seems like it will turn blue but a lot can happen in the next 24 hours. Obama is pretty much locked in to win New Hampshire and Vermont but South Carolina favors a solid GOP lead. Voter turnout will play a big role. Obama: 7; McCain: 8; Open: 28

7:30 p.m.: Ohio, West Virginia
The other key win for either candidate comes from Ohio. This state has seen a see-saw battle in recent months and no candidate can be assured of a victory there for the 20 electoral votes. West Virginia looks good for the McCain/Palin camp but polling averages see a bit of a slip. Obama: 0; McCain: 5; Open: 20

8:00 p.m.: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Western Florida, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee
Alabama, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Tennessee are likely locks McCain. Obama is favored in the rest and he'll likely take Pennsylvania, according to the latest numbers. Voting officially ends in Florida with the closings of the western parts of the state and all eyes will be clearly focused on the numbers as they come through. Missouri's 11 electoral votes are toss ups as well. Obama: 103; McCain: 33; Open: 38

8:30 p.m.: Arkansas, North Carolina
McCain is heavily favored in the southern states but Arkansas isn't necessiarly a lock here. North Carolina is a pure toss up but leans a bit towards the Republican base. After all, Bush won the Tarheel state clearly in botth 2000 and 2004. Obama: 0; McCain: 6; Open: 15

9:00 p.m.: Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Wyoming
This will be another major close of the polls with McCain's home state of Arizona being a toss up and Colorado being a battleground. As of Monday night, the two will split these states with Obama likely to take Colorado and changing a historical trend of red in that state. McCain is favored to take Louisiana, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Wyoming and possibly South Dakota. Minnesota and New Mexico favor the Democratic team of Obama/Biden and losses here could prove a big bounce for a McCain comeback. Obama: 24; McCain: 60; Open: 10

10:00 p.m.: Iowa, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Utah
Montana and North Dakota's three electoral votes are a toss ups but the former historically favors a Republican candidate over the past two elections. Utah looks very red while Iowa and Nevada are blue states. Obama: 12; McCain: 5; Open: 6

11:00 p.m.: California, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Washington
All four of these states are solid blue states and worth a total of 79 electoral votes for Obama.

Midnight: Alaska
McCain/Palin are likely a lock here with Palin taking her home state. Score 3 for McCain.

Related Elections 2008 info: 
Examiner nationwide straw poll
Slideshow: U.S. election grips world
Political issues in 2008
Poll: who will be the next president?
Examiner Coverage: Elections 2008