US Election Day 2028 is Tuesday, November 7, 2028. Voters will choose the president and vice president, all 435 members of the House of Representatives and 34 U.S. senators, and the next president takes office on January 20, 2029.
The 2028 presidential election does not end on November 7. Under the Electoral Count Reform Act of 2022, states must certify their electors by Wednesday, December 13, 2028, and electors vote on Tuesday, December 19. Congress counts the votes on Saturday, January 6, 2029, and the inauguration takes place on Saturday, January 20, 2029.
Election Day is not a federal holiday, but 14 states make it a state holiday, and 22 require employers to give paid time off to vote, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Before 2028, the next federal Election Day is the midterm election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.
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When is Election Day 2028?
Election Day 2028 is Tuesday, November 7, 2028: the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Federal law (2 U.S.C. 7 for Congress and 3 U.S.C. 1 for presidential electors) fixes this rule, so Election Day always falls between November 2 and November 8. The rule excludes November 1, which in the 19th century was a court day and the Catholic feast of All Saints.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Sunday, November 5, 2028 | Daylight saving time ends, two days before the election |
| Tuesday, November 7, 2028 | Election Day: general election for president, Congress and state offices |
| Friday, November 10, 2028 | Veterans Day observed (November 11 is a Saturday) |
What is on the ballot on Election Day 2028?
Election Day 2028 combines the 61st U.S. presidential election with elections for Congress, 11 governors and thousands of state and local offices. The table summarizes the federal and state races.
| Office | Seats on the ballot in 2028 |
|---|---|
| President and vice president | 1 ticket; 538 electoral votes, 270 needed to win |
| U.S. House of Representatives | All 435 seats |
| U.S. Senate | 34 seats (Class 3) |
| State governors | 11 states: Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia |
| State legislatures, ballot measures and local offices | Varies by state |
The 22nd Amendment limits a president to two elected terms. Because President Donald Trump was elected in 2016 and 2024, he cannot be elected again, so the 2028 presidential race will have no incumbent on the ballot.
Party nominees are chosen through state primaries and caucuses in the first half of 2028 and confirmed at the national conventions in summer 2028. The 2028 primary calendar has not been finalized.
2028 timeline: from the vote to the inauguration
Eight dates set by federal law and the Constitution run from the vote on November 7, 2028, to the inauguration on January 20, 2029. The Electoral Count Reform Act (ECRA) of 2022 set the December dates.
The table applies them to 2028.
| Date | Step | Legal rule |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday, November 7, 2028 | Election Day | Tuesday after the first Monday in November |
| Wednesday, December 13, 2028 | Deadline for each state’s certificate of ascertainment naming its electors | Six days before electors meet (ECRA) |
| Tuesday, December 19, 2028 | Electors meet in each state and cast their votes | First Tuesday after the second Wednesday in December (ECRA) |
| Wednesday, December 27, 2028 | Electoral certificates due to the President of the Senate and the Archivist | Fourth Wednesday in December |
| Wednesday, January 3, 2029 | New Congress (the 121st) convenes | 20th Amendment |
| Saturday, January 6, 2029 | Joint session of Congress counts the electoral votes | 3 U.S.C. 15 |
| Saturday, January 20, 2029 | Inauguration of the president at noon | 20th Amendment |
The ECRA rules are summarized by Protect Democracy and the Bipartisan Policy Center. The ECRA also limits the vice president’s role at the joint session to “solely ministerial duties.” It requires at least one-fifth of each chamber to support an objection to a state’s electoral votes.
How the Electoral Count Reform Act changed the 2028 timeline
The 2022 law moved the electors’ meeting from a Monday to a Tuesday and replaced the old “safe harbor” deadline with a firm certification deadline.
Before the ECRA, electors met on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December. Under the new rules, a state’s certificate is treated as conclusive in Congress unless a court orders otherwise. States may extend voting only for “extraordinary and catastrophic” events.
Election Day 2028 key dates falling on weekends
Two of the constitutional dates fall on Saturdays in 2029: the electoral count (January 6) and the inauguration (January 20). Both remain on their fixed dates.
The Constitution moves the public inauguration ceremony only when January 20 falls on a Sunday, with the private oath taken that day.
Is Election Day 2028 a holiday?
Election Day is not a federal holiday; federal offices, banks and post offices operate normally on Tuesday, November 7, 2028. States set their own rules.
The table follows the Movement Advancement Project, updated on Monday, July 13, 2026.
| State policy | Number of states |
|---|---|
| Election Day is a state holiday and paid time off to vote is required | 5 |
| Election Day is a state holiday only | 9 |
| Paid time off to vote is required only | 17 |
| Neither policy | 19 states and Washington, D.C. |
Where Election Day is a state holiday, state offices and often public schools close, and many schools serve as polling places. Check your state election office or your employer’s policy for 2028.
How to vote in the 2028 election
Voting in 2028 involves four steps, and every deadline is set by your state.
- Register or confirm your registration at Vote.gov, the official U.S. government site. Registration deadlines range from about 30 days before Election Day to same-day registration, depending on the state.
- Choose how to vote: in person on Election Day, in person during early voting, or by mail. Early-voting periods and mail-ballot rules differ by state.
- Find your polling place and hours through your state or county election office. Polling hours are set by each state.
- Bring the identification your state requires. ID laws range from no document requirement to photo ID.
Election Day 2026: the midterm elections
The next federal Election Day is Tuesday, November 3, 2026, when voters elect all 435 House members, 33 senators and 36 governors. Midterm elections fall halfway through a presidential term and decide control of Congress for the following two years.
| Election | Date | Main federal races |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 midterm elections | Tuesday, November 3, 2026 | 435 House seats; 33 Senate seats (Class 2) |
| 2027 off-year elections | Tuesday, November 2, 2027 | State and local; governors of Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi |
| 2028 general election | Tuesday, November 7, 2028 | President; 435 House seats; 34 Senate seats (Class 3) |
The 2027 date also appears in the Calendar 2027, along with the federal holidays of that year.
Election Day dates 2026 to 2032
Election Day moves between November 2 and November 8. Presidential elections fall in years divisible by four.
| Year | Election Day | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Tuesday, November 3, 2026 | Midterm |
| 2027 | Tuesday, November 2, 2027 | Off-year (state and local) |
| 2028 | Tuesday, November 7, 2028 | Presidential |
| 2029 | Tuesday, November 6, 2029 | Off-year (state and local) |
| 2030 | Tuesday, November 5, 2030 | Midterm |
| 2031 | Tuesday, November 4, 2031 | Off-year (state and local) |
| 2032 | Tuesday, November 2, 2032 | Presidential |
What Election Day 2028 is not
Election Day is often misunderstood. The points below separate the facts.
- It is not the only day to vote. Most states offer early voting or voting by mail before November 7, 2028.
- It is not when the president is formally elected. Electors cast the formal votes on December 19, 2028, and Congress counts them on January 6, 2029.
- It is not a federal holiday. Private employers are not required to close.
- It is not always November 7. In 2032, Election Day falls on November 2.
Frequently asked questions
When is Election Day 2028?
Election Day 2028 is Tuesday, November 7, 2028. It is the Tuesday after the first Monday in November, as set by federal law.
When is the next election?
The next federal election is the midterm election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. The next presidential election is on Tuesday, November 7, 2028.
When does the new president take office after the 2028 election?
The winner of the 2028 election is inaugurated at noon on Saturday, January 20, 2029, after electors vote on December 19, 2028, and Congress counts the votes on January 6, 2029.
